Heath Shuler is being scrutinized for alleged wrongdoing. It is claimed a staff member denied knowledge of the Congressman’s partial ownership of a company known as the Cove at Blackberry Ridge, and denied knowledge of Shuler contacting the TVA about an application for waterfront property for the developer. A report recently released by the TVA indicates otherwise, and the employee has since quit. Shuler not only invested in the development, he had Congressional oversight of the TVA through his appointment on the House Transportation Committee’s Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment.
A report from the Inspector General said there is no evidence Shuler used his position to obtain the property for Blackberry. Shuler denies any inappropriate behavior. Robert Danos, chair of the Henderson County Republican Party, disagrees with the Attorney General, and suspects incriminatory information is in a report that has been released only to the House Ethics Committee.
Supposing Shuler did not intentionally use his position to acquire lakefront property, the issues at-hand, from a public policy standpoint, would be why definitions of conflict of interest are so cloudy; how people who are involved in more interests than they can keep straight, can in future be prevented from behaving questionably; and how should non-conflict interactions among conflict-of-interest parties be recorded to satisfy public inquiries?
