Both of New Hampshire’s U.S. Representatives made a recent list of the “Most Corrupt” members of Congress. Charlie Bass of Peterborough and Frank Guinta of Manchester, both Republicans, were included in the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington’s seventh annual report on Congressional corruption.

The list includes 13 House members and one senator. Five other House members received “dishonorable mentions.” Twelve of those named in the report are Republicans and seven are Democrats. Bass and Guinta are the only members of Congress from New England on the list.

Bass, a seven-term member of Congress who served from 1995 to 2007 and was elected again in 2010, is accused in the report of misusing his position to seek preferential treatment for his nephew’s business. Bass’s nephew by marriage is Steven Walker, president of New England Wood Pellet. He’s also accused of lying about his interest in the company in personal financial disclosure forms.

Guinta, a first-term member of Congress and former mayor of Manchester, is targeted for making “several shady loans to his campaign committee, claiming the money was his own despite an income that seemed to preclude that possibility.”

More recently, the N.H. Democratic Party has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that Guinta violated campaign finance limits by attempting to solicit up to $100,000 from the Republican Governors Association.

Ray Buckley, chair of the N.H. Democratic Party, released a statement criticizing Bass and Guinta and called the report embarrassing to New Hampshire.

“Once again our Republican members of Congress have brought national shame on the Granite State,” Buckley said. “To have both of our members of Congress labeled corrupt tarnishes New Hampshire’s great legacy of honest government.”   

State Republican Committee chair Wayne MacDonald countered with a statement calling the organization a “liberal special interest group” and accusing it and Buckley of “recycling the same old false attacks.”
“New Hampshire is proud to have Frank and Charlie representing us in Washington,” MacDonald said.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonprofit watchdog group, based its findings on media articles, reports from the Federal Elections Commission, court documents, and financial and travel disclosure forms. To view the entire report, visit www.citizensforethics.org.