AMERICUS, GA (WALB) -
By Dawn Hobby - bio | email
ALBANY, GA (WALB) – Second District Congressman Sanford Bishop says he did nothing wrong years ago when he arranged for members of his family to get scholarships through the Congressional Black Caucus.
Bishop says implications that he broke the rules are nothing more than opponent Mike Keown's attempt to score cheap political points.
Bishop said Friday that he will put money back into the Congressional Black Caucus fund that will equal the amount two family members received in scholarships several years ago.
Bishop says when his stepdaughter and his wife's niece received the scholarships, between 2003 and 2005, the rules were different and that was allowed.
"At the time that this took place, there were not very clear guidelines on it. Of course, those were clarified at the earliest, 2006, and all these were given before that time," Bishop said.
Bishop's step-daughter and his wife's niece received the scholarships, and the Associated Press reports that another recipient has the same name as the spouse of longtime Bishop aide Kenneth Cutts.
Bishop says that did not violate CBC rules that were in place at the time.
In 2008, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation revised its rules to prohibit the families of Caucus members from receiving CBC scholarship money.
©2010 WALB News. All rights reserved. Feedback
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 Worldnow and WALB, a Raycom Media Station. 
