Financial forms depict prosperous congressmen

Townhall Staff

Jun 15, 2011 4:21 PM Jun 15, 2011

Opinion

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WASHINGTON — New House Speaker John Boehner doesn't have as many millions as his predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, but like many new committee chairmen and other leaders, he has holdings in companies that have major financial stakes in the actions of Congress.

For Boehner, that includes a portfolio of stocks in oil companies, financial firms, communication companies and pharmaceuticals. Holdings among other lawmakers include farmland, real estate and investments in high tech companies.

None of this is in any way illegal. Ethics rules state that members can't use their official positions for personal gain and limits to $26,100 what they can earn as a director of a business or for actual work performed outside Congress. The rules, however, do not limit personal investments, a source of considerable wealth for many lawmakers.