05/04/2005

By MATTHEW DALY  / Associated Press

Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith's office said Wednesday it is reviewing a 2003 trip to Ireland to determine if a lobbyist paid for it — as Senate records indicate.

If the records are accurate, the trip by Smith and four other Republican lawmakers would violate ethics rules that bar lobbying firms from paying for trips taken by members of Congress.

"If there was a problem with the paperwork we'll fix it promptly," said Chris Matthews, a spokesman for Smith.

"We're just looking into it to make sure that everything was consistent with the senator's standards," Matthews added. "If there is anything incorrect — whether information on the forms or otherwise — the senator will rectify the situation."

The Hill, a newspaper that covers Capitol Hill, reported Wednesday that Smith and four other GOP lawmakers traveled to Ireland at the expense of a Washington lobbying firm, Kessler & Associates Business Services Inc.

Smith, former Sen. Don Nickles, R-Okla., and Reps. Howard Coble, R-N.C., Harold Rogers, R-Ky., and Clay Shaw, R-Fla., attended a four-day international trade seminar at Ashford Castle in Ireland's County Mayo in August 2003, the newspaper said.

Disclosure reports for the five lawmakers show that Kessler & Associates footed the $25,000 bill, even though congressional ethics guidelines bar lobbying firms from paying for lawmakers' travel.