Foe Attacks Badham on Way Funds Are Spent

Charging that five-term Rep. Robert E. Badham (R-Newport Beach) had “used the House of Representatives for his own personal gain,” congressional candidate Nathan Rosenberg said Wednesday that he would be “guilty of a crime” if he had spent campaign funds as Badham had--on dry cleaning, hotel rooms and a Cadillac.

Rosenberg, 33, a management consultant who is running against Badham for the 40th Congressional District Republican nomination in the June 3 primary, made his comments during a morning press conference in Santa Ana.

Badham responded later to the charges, saying: “That is a desperate attack that signifies a woeful lack of experience in the understanding of federal law and rules of the House of Representatives.”

Under both federal law and House rules, congressmen incur no criminal penalty for spending campaign funds on personal expenses, spokesmen for the Federal Elections Commission and the House Ethics Committee said.

Civil Violation

Campaign committees have “broadest latitude to determine how they spend the money for the campaign,” said FEC spokesman Fred Eiland. “The only real violation would be if they didn’t disclose it,” but that would be a civil violation, not a criminal one, he added.

Badham, in his March 31 campaign report, said he spent some of the nearly $38,000 listed in contributions during the period on dry cleaning, his wife’s hotel bill in New Zealand, a 1982 Cadillac, an outfit for his wife and Christmas cards.

While declining comment on Badham’s expenses, Eiland and House Ethics Committee attorney John Davison noted that many congressmen have legally spent campaign funds on new cars and tuxedos.

During his press conference, Rosenberg passed out thick black briefing books on Badham and attacked his attendance record in the House, travel, campaign expenses and legislative record. He contended that Badham’s attendance record for the last nine years was only 84%, compared to a Republican average of 91%.

Committee Hearings

Badham later responded that he may have missed votes because of committee hearings or other responsibilities but, except for illness, “I never missed an important vote.”

Rosenberg also accused Badham of authoring only insignificant legislation. Badham said many significant bills don’t bear his name, but that his amendments to major bills have improved Orange County flood control protections, added 1,300 units of housing to the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station and lengthened the El Toro runway.

Angry that Badham has refused to debate him, Rosenberg announced that he would be attacking his opponent with frequent press conferences, plus 60-second radio and 30-second television ads.

The radio spots will begin during commute hours today, Rosenberg said. He noted, however, that his campaign has so far raised only a portion of the $110,000 budgeted for those ads.

Badham, meanwhile, is also preparing some television ads. They will air on the Leisure World cable television system in Laguna Hills, Badham aide Bill Schreiber said.