Rep. Davis Denies Ethics Lapse in Hiring Girlfriend
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WASHINGTON — Rep. Robert W. Davis (R-Mich.) says his hiring of his girlfriend for a $28,000-a-year job on the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee is ethically sound.
Davis, 56, acknowledged Tuesday he has been living with the 28-year-old staff member, Brook Ball, since early this year. Ball was hired Jan. 1 on Davis’ recommendation and he moved into her Virginia apartment in late January or early February, shortly after separating from his wife, Marty Davis.
“We checked with the Ethics Committee before we hired her to make sure there was nothing wrong with doing it,” Davis said. “The answer was very clearly there is nothing wrong with it.”
Disclosure of the relationship between Davis and Ball prompted a flurry of accusations between the congressman and his wife of 12 years. The congressman has filed for divorce, and he and his wife have been sparring in court over how much support he should be required to pay.
Davis accused his estranged wife of leaking the information to reporters in an effort to get more alimony in the divorce proceedings.
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