A rough year for Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) just got rougher. Democrat Lee Rogers, a podiatrist and Democratic candidate for the nomination to oppose McKeon this November, won a charity auction earning a lunch for four with the incumbent. And he has invited three local reporters to be his guests for the festivities.
Rogers won the auction — benefiting the College of the Canyons Foundation — with a $300 bid, the only bid made.
McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services committee, is well known for his extreme opposition to allowing gay and lesbian Americans to serve openly in the military. Last year, he threated to threaten to hold up an entire defense authorization bill unless it contained provisions restricting military chaplains from officiating at same-sex unions.
He has also made headlines of late for his questionable ethics. He used his campaign account to funnel more than $260,0000 in payments to his wife for her work on his behalf, making her his highest paid staffer. And congressional investigators have reportedly alleged he got a cut-rate home loan from Countrywide.
Perhaps Rogers might ask McKeon about these ethical issues over their lunch.