Lautenberg Campaign Calls on Andrews to Release Details of Earmarks Benefitting His Wife
Rob Andrews Funneled Taxpayer Funds to Wife's Employer
 
According to media reports, Rep. Andrews funneled at least $2.8 in taxpayer money to a program at the Rutgers School of Law - Camden administered by his wife, Camille, while failing to deliver on almost all funding requests that the university considered a priority.  The money, which was never requested by the university, went to fund programs at the law school which were overseen in part by Camille Andrews, as well as a charter school where Mrs. Andrews served as a trustee. 
 
Andrews earmarked only $147,000 of the millions in requests Rutgers-Camden had actually submitted, while providing millions in non-requested funding to the law school department in which his wife was an associate dean and from which she derived a salary.  A document signed by the dean of the law school states clearly that "As in the past the Law School does not 'apply' or ask for these earmarks [to his wife's employer].  Congressman Andrews arranges these, when he is able, on his own initiative." [The State University of New Jersey - Rutgers, Federal Directed Funding Proposal Form - Fiscal Year - 2008]

According to House ethics rules, "any Member who requests a congressional earmark, a limited tax benefit, or a limited tariff benefit in any bill or joint resolution (or accompanying report) or in any conference report on a bill or joint resolution (or an accompanying joint statement of managers) to certify that neither the Member nor the Member's spouse have a financial interest in such congressional earmark or limited tax or tariff benefit." It further states that "A financial interest may also derive from a salary, indebtedness, job offer, or other similar interest."   Andrews' tax returns clearly show that his wife earned a salary as an associate dean of the Rutgers Law School in Camden.

The Lautenberg campaign called on Andrews today to release his signed certification to the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee stating that neither he nor his spouse received any financial interest in the earmarked project - despite the fact that his wife received a salary from the entity to which the money was appropriated and the fact that Rutgers-Camden admitted she sat on the committee determining the dispensation of the earmarked funds.

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