Audit Finds House Members, Staff Misused Credit Cards

House members and employees have misused credit cards, exceeded office expense ceilings and perhaps failed to pay for catered events, but there is no evidence of fraud, the House inspector general says.

John W. Lainhart IV, reporting this week on an audit to be finished by year’s end, blamed sloppy bookkeeping for many of the problems.

In the major concrete step taken so far, Lainhart said, the official credit cards of 43 House members or staff, including 13 current members or employees, were canceled by the credit card company because their accounts were more than 120 days past due.

The past-due amounts averaged $4,000 as of Oct. 28, Lainhart reported to the House Oversight Committee. The charges were incurred during the 1993 and 1994 congressional sessions, said Lainhart, who would not identify any member or staffer involved.

House members receive cards to be used only for travel-related expenses, and they decide which senior staffers get them. The contract between the credit card company and the House lets the company cancel cards with accounts more than 120 days past due.

Lainhart reported that no fraud or abuse had been found so far. The audit is looking at duplicate payments to members’ offices, non-payment for catered events, overdue accounts, personal use of the cards, overspending of official allowances and other matters.

The inspector general said the 43 overdue accounts averaged $2,300 at the end of 1994, before rising to $4,000. However, Lainhart said, one former House member owes more than $16,000, distorting the average.

The audit found 26 members and 51 staffers with apparent personal charges on their official credit cards, but there was no evidence the House paid any of those bills.

In addition, more than 700 charges were not for travel-related expenses, Lainhart found. This did not violate House rules, but did violate the charge card agreement.