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Schmidt Got $105K-Plus from Turkish Coalition in 2011
Friday, June 15th, 2012
by Asbarez
Jean Schmidt
BY DEE SHESGREEN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
CINCINNATI - Rep. Jean Schmidt received $582,768 over three years from
the Turkish Coalition of America, and she still owed at least $515,000
in legal fees at the end of 2011, according to her most recent
financial disclosure report.
The Miami Township Republican reported three debts - all to law firms
that represented her in her legal tangle with opponent David Krikorian
and the ethics case that ensued.
Last summer, the House ethics committee found that Schmidt had
accepted an improper gift from the Turkish Coalition. Although the
panel found that she didn't know the coalition was paying her legal
fees, it ordered her to repay the funds and report them on her
disclosure form.
Schmidt sued Krikorian after he claimed that she had taken `blood
money' from the government of Turkey in exchange for her opposition to
efforts that would label as `genocide' the killings of Armenians
living in Turkey during World War I.
The Ohio Elections Commission ruled in her favor; she also filed a
defamation lawsuit against Krikorian in June 2010, in Clermont County
Common Pleas Court, seeking $6.8 million in damages. She has since
dropped that case.
To comply with the ethics ruling, Schmidt reported receiving about
$430,000 in 2009 and 2010 from the Turkish coalition. And her latest
report shows she got another $152,658 in 2011.
So far, she has repaid about $43,000 of the legal tab from her
personal funds. She has said she intends to raise money through her
legal expense trust to replay the rest.
But she's only raised $5,000 for that account. And when she leaves
Congress early next year, she will not have to comply with the House
ethics ruling.
Overall, Schmidt reported assets valued at between $2.85 million and
$10.4 million. Lawmakers only have to report their assets and debts in
wide ranges, so determining precise net worth is not possible.
Friday, June 15th, 2012
by Asbarez
Jean Schmidt
BY DEE SHESGREEN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
CINCINNATI - Rep. Jean Schmidt received $582,768 over three years from
the Turkish Coalition of America, and she still owed at least $515,000
in legal fees at the end of 2011, according to her most recent
financial disclosure report.
The Miami Township Republican reported three debts - all to law firms
that represented her in her legal tangle with opponent David Krikorian
and the ethics case that ensued.
Last summer, the House ethics committee found that Schmidt had
accepted an improper gift from the Turkish Coalition. Although the
panel found that she didn't know the coalition was paying her legal
fees, it ordered her to repay the funds and report them on her
disclosure form.
Schmidt sued Krikorian after he claimed that she had taken `blood
money' from the government of Turkey in exchange for her opposition to
efforts that would label as `genocide' the killings of Armenians
living in Turkey during World War I.
The Ohio Elections Commission ruled in her favor; she also filed a
defamation lawsuit against Krikorian in June 2010, in Clermont County
Common Pleas Court, seeking $6.8 million in damages. She has since
dropped that case.
To comply with the ethics ruling, Schmidt reported receiving about
$430,000 in 2009 and 2010 from the Turkish coalition. And her latest
report shows she got another $152,658 in 2011.
So far, she has repaid about $43,000 of the legal tab from her
personal funds. She has said she intends to raise money through her
legal expense trust to replay the rest.
But she's only raised $5,000 for that account. And when she leaves
Congress early next year, she will not have to comply with the House
ethics ruling.
Overall, Schmidt reported assets valued at between $2.85 million and
$10.4 million. Lawmakers only have to report their assets and debts in
wide ranges, so determining precise net worth is not possible.