Conyers Apologizes for Sons Misuse of Vehicle
Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) said Tuesday that he will repay for his son’s misuse of a vehicle leased to his Congressional office after reports by Detroit media outlets that the sport utility vehicle had been burglarized on Thanksgiving.
The Detroit Free Press reported Tuesday that John Conyers III filed a police report Nov. 25 after he discovered items missing from the Cadillac Escalade, including two computers and $27,000 worth of concert tickets. Rep. Conyers’ son is affiliated with a local promotion company, Finally Famous, and had intended to distribute the concert tickets to local businesses as a Black Friday shopping promotion, according to the Free Press.
A copy of the Detroit Police Department report posted on MyFoxDetroit.com shows the vehicle registered to the 14th Congressional district.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Rep. Conyers said he was not aware his son was driving the vehicle. “I have just learned about the inappropriate use of a congressional vehicle by my son over the Thanksgiving holiday,” Conyers said. “I am sorry it happened and will make sure that it does not happen again. I will review the full circumstances of the use of this vehicle and make restitution to the Treasury for any non-official use.”
House lawmakers often lease vehicles with funds from their Congressional office budgets, which average around $1 million per year and are also used to pay for district office space, staff salaries and travel costs.
According to the chamber’s quarterly spending records, formally known as Statements of Disbursements of the House, Conyer’s office paid about $1,300 per month for “automobile leases” from July to September, the most recent data available. Conyers’ office did not immediately respond to a query about how many vehicles the office leases.