Fearing Ethics Probe, They Return Expensive Perfume : Gifts to Lawmakers Nothing to Sniff At

With the current emphasis on ethics in the nation’s capital, even the sweetest perfume can sometimes take on the smell of corruption.

That is what occurred recently when some members of Congress discovered that their wives had received a one-ounce sample of a new perfume called “Red” valued at $175 from Giorgio of Beverly Hills earlier this year.

Members of Congress are prohibited from accepting gifts valued in excess of $100 from corporations that have an interest in legislation, and that rule is clearly on the minds of most House members these days because of the current ethics investigation of House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.).

Might Violate Rule

Fearful that Giorgio’s perfume gift might violate this rule, a number of House members decided earlier this week to mail the sample back to Giorgio, according to sources. It was not known exactly how many bottles were returned.

“It shows how the ethical climate has changed in Washington,” remarked one House Democrat who returned his perfume and declined to be identified. “In the past, nobody would have thought twice about accepting a free sample of perfume.”

He said he was shocked when he discovered the retail price of the perfume. He said both he and his wife had been unaware of its value when they opened the gift last January after returning to Washington from the Christmas recess.

Initially, House members said they were advised by employees of the House Ethics Committee that the perfume should be returned if the bottle was still more than half full. If more than half was gone, they were told to send $175 to the perfume manufacturer.

However, a committee spokesman said, Chairman Julian C. Dixon (D-Los Angeles) ruled on Friday that Giorgio’s gift did not violate House rules because it was received before the perfume went on the retail market and thus had no known value then.

“It could have been $2; it could have been $2,000,” said the committee aide.

At Giorgio headquarters in Santa Monica, company spokeswoman Jackie Cohen said her firm had not yet received any returned bottles of Red from members of Congress. And she bolstered the committee’s ruling by noting that the fragrance costs “less than $100” an ounce wholesale.

According to Cohen, the samples were sent to 5,000 prominent women, including some congressional wives, as part of a Christmas promotion for the perfume before its introduction in retail stores.