Knott accuses Rep. Hill of unethical behavior

Greg Knott, the Libertarian candidate for U.S. Congress representing the 9th District, is accusing Democratic opponent Rep. Baron Hill of giving more than $300,000 in earmarks to his former chief of staff’s lobbying client.

After losing the congressional election in 2004, Hill was hired as a senior adviser for mCapitol Management, a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C., working alongside his former chief of staff Ryan Guthrie, who was hired as a lobbyist.

According to the data from Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bills, once Hill was back in Congress in 2007 with Guthrie on his campaign, $390,000 of earmark money was given to Schneck Medical Center, a client of Guthrie’s while working at mCapitol
Management. 

Guthrie received $30,000 in lobbying fees from Schneck Medical Center while working there in 2006, according to the political watchdog site Center for Responsive Politics.   
Knott said it was unethical for Hill to give earmark dollars to clients his chief of staff and lobbying firm worked closely with, not to mention that Schneck Medical Center is located in Seymour, Ind., which is Hill’s hometown.

On top of the $390,000  given to Schneck Medical Center, Knott said another $300,000 was given in earmarks to clients of mCapitol Management.

“I think it’s important that every student and every voter know that he took private money, private lobbying fees and then turned around and gave $625,000 dollars in public money to those same clients,” Knott said. “I think most people would see that as a bribe and think it should be illegal — and it should be illegal — but it’s not, so we have to use the ballot box to get Hill out.”

Daniel Altman, the communications director for the Hoosiers for Hill campaign, said Knott’s accusations warrant an apology.

“He only submits requests when the projects or programs benefit the people of southern Indiana, and this includes Schneck Medical Center’s appropriation to expand their emergency room,” Altman said. “It is a nonprofit hospital that employs 800 Hoosiers who serve 120,000 patients. It is critically important to rural southern Indiana.”

Because Hill worked as senior adviser, he was not in violation of the Congressional Ethics Rules. The current regulations state members of Congress are prohibited from lobbying for one year after leaving the government.