Sanford Bishop to repay scholarship money

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Politico:

Seeking to head off a scandal, Rep. Sanford Bishop will repay the costs of college scholarships he gave to his stepdaughter and wife’s niece in 2003 and 2005, the Georgia Democrat’s campaign spokesman said Friday in a statement.

The scholarships were part of a program run by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the charitable arm of the congressional caucus for African-American lawmakers. Each CBC member is provided with $10,000 annually to hand out to qualified applicants.

POLITICO reported on Thursday that Bishop awarded scholarships to his stepdaughter, Aayesha Reese Owens, in 2003. Emmaundia Whitaker, the niece of Vivian Creighton Bishop, the congressman’s wife, was given similar scholarships in 2003 and 2005.

Neither Bishop’s office nor the CBC Foundation would say how much the scholarships were worth, but they are typically in the $1,000 to $2,000 range, according to previous media reports on the CBC program.

The Associated Press reported Friday that Sherletha Thomas, who is now married to Bishop's district director, Kenneth Cutts, received a scholarship in 2003 as well. The couple was not married at that time, Bishop’s office said.

A Bishop spokesman told POLITICO that there were no nepotism rules in place in the mid-2000s to bar the CBC scholarships from going to family members. A CBC Foundation spokeswoman said such restrictions were not put into place until 2008.

But Tim Turner, spokesman for Bishop’s reelection campaign, issued a statement Friday declaring that Bishop would repay the CBC Foundation for the cost of the awards.
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So, he apparently didn't break the law when he gave the kids their college education. Even so, legal nepotism can still come back to bite you.