WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg dismissed criticism today he faces a conflict of interest from his family’s investment in an energy company. The New Jersey Democrat, who serves on a subcommittee that oversees water quality, revealed in a financial disclosure form that his wife has a stake worth more than $1 million in Houston-based Linn Energy. The company...
U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) in this file photoWASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg dismissed criticism today he faces a conflict of interest from his family’s investment in an energy company.
The New Jersey Democrat, who serves on a subcommittee that oversees water quality, revealed in a financial disclosure form that his wife has a stake worth more than $1 million in Houston-based Linn Energy.
The company has been cited in the past for alleged water pollution, according to a report in The Washington Post.
A Lautenberg spokesman said the investment in the oil and gas company was part of a trust for Lautenberg’s wife and does not benefit the senator.
It is unclear if issues involving the company have ever come before Lautenberg’s committee.
Senate ethics guidelines leave it to lawmakers to decide if their investments pose conflicts of interest, according to the Post.
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