E.B. Johnson Scholarship Ethics Scandal Travesty Widens...

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson's (TX-30) scholarship ethics scandal just keeps getting bigger. First, after denying knowledge of misconduct and fumbling answers in a CNN interview, the recent discovery of letters signed by E.B. Johnson show that she directed funds to family members who were also outside of her Congressional District 30. Now "scholarshipgate" just got worse as the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Foundation investigates and finds more such ethics lapses among congressmen: Congressman Sanford Bishop (D-GA) awarded three CBC scholarships to his stepdaughter and wife's niece between 2003-2005.

Politico reported:

In 2003, Emmaundia Whitaker, the niece of Vivian Creighton Bishop, who is Bishop’s wife, was awarded an education scholarship. She was also given a similar award in 2005. And in 2003, Aayesha Owens Reese, the congressman’s stepdaughter, was granted an education scholarship as well. The congressman’s wife, is a longtime state employee in Georgia. She currently serves as clerk of the municipal court in Columbus, Georgia.

This isn't the first time, Congressman Bishop has been involved in some sort of fishy behavior:

Cong Bishop was also caught up in a scandal in 2009 when the Georgia Bureau of Investigation began a probe into whether a youth program operated by Muscogee County Marshal’s Office improperly spent federal funds after it hired Bishop's stepdaughter and her husband.

According to Congressional Black Caucus spokeswoman, Muriel Cooper, the scholarship program has been running on an "honor system." Well, it looks like some Congressional members just can't be trusted to follow the "honor system!"