Tennessee lawmakers reportedly paid salaries to family

Congressman Chuck Fleischmann.

Congressman John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-Tenn.)

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn

Three Republican Tennessee lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, used campaign donations to pay salaries to their family members during the last two election cycles, according to a new report.

For almost a year, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington scoured House financial disclosures, office budgets and campaign ledgers for financial connections between lawmakers and their families.

They found that the families of more than half of all House lawmakers have received payments or otherwise benefited from ties to a lawmaker in the past two election cycles.

The watchdog group reported the following about Tennessee lawmakers:

• Fleischmann, of Ooltewah, paid his college-aged son, Charles M. “Chuckie” Fleischmann, $4,652 from campaign funds for “wages for work done” during the 2010 election cycle.