"The California trip . . . was for the purpose of fund-raising activities and political meetings with members of the higher education community, two separate foreign policy advocacy groups, and various members of the entertainment and legal industries," Andrews' chief of staff, Fran Tagmire, said in a statement. "California has typically been one of the campaign's top states for financial support. The full public disclosure of these legal and proper expenses, including the accompaniment of his minor daughter and her participation, is consistent with the law in all respects."
Andrews raised $5,000 during the trip, and reported raising an additional $3,750 from California residents or businesses between Oct. 1, 2011, and the end of the year.
He raised much more - about $24,000 - from California-linked donors between July 1 and Oct. 31, when he visited California twice with his daughter Josie, an aspiring pop singer.
Andrews, a 22-year veteran of the U.S. House, is up for reelection in November. Republicans are still deciding on a candidate, said Camden County GOP Chairman Thomas Booth Jr. Andrews typically has won reelection with wide margins.
Questions about Andrews' spending practices in recent months have led a congressional watchdog group, Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington, to call on federal officials to audit his account.
"It's highly suspicious that he would refuse to release records," said Craig Holman, an ethics expert and lobbyist with the nonpartisan group Public Citizen. "If he were complying with the law, you'd think he'd be perfectly willing to disclose records showing his daughter's expenses were paid for with private funds and not campaign funds."
Booth used harsher language.
