FBI investigates Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA)

The Justice Department is investigating whether Republican Rep. Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania traded his political influence for lucrative lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter, according to sources with direct knowledge of the inquiry.

The FBI, which opened an investigation in recent months, has formally referred the matter to the department's Public Integrity Section for additional scrutiny. At issue are Weldon's efforts between 2002 and 2004 to aid two Russian companies and two Serbian brothers with ties to strongman Slobodan Milosevic, a federal law enforcement official said.

The Russian companies and a Serbian foundation run by the brothers' family each hired a firm co-owned by Weldon's daughter, Karen, for fees totaling nearly $1 million a year, public records show.

Karen Weldon was 28 and lacked consulting experience when she and Charles Sexton, a Weldon ally and longtime Republican leader in Delaware County, Pa., created the firm of Solutions North America Inc. in 2002. Both are registered with the Justice Department as representatives of foreign clients.

LSB: Cunningham, DeLay, Ney, Weldon… how many more? Hey, I’m not throwing stones – the Dems (had they been in a position of power for the past 12 years) may have taken some liberties as well. Need we look any further than Rep. William Jefferson in LA? (He of the $90K in his freezer.) It just seems that when one party has ALL of the control in Washington, no oversight is exerted. Do I expect a lot to change when the Dems reclaim one (or both) of the Houses this fall? Not really, but perhaps for a while there will some oversight of our executive branch.