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To: Burnis Morris
From: Tom Bragg

RE: Story Outline: Follow up on Sen. Jim Bunning story from Lexington Herald-Leader

Subject: Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ken.) has been taking a salary from his non-profit, the Jim Bunning Foundation. The Lexington Herald-Leader ran a story in December 2008 about this, highlighting that not only was the non-profit’s largest payout going to Bunning, but the three-person board in charge of the foundation was made up of Bunning’s wife, an old friend and a former aide of his.

Need: Since the story ran late last year, there have been new financial filings made by the senator. It would be good to see if the story created any pressure on Bunning or the foundation to stop what they were doing. Citizens should also be informed about the ethical questions the foundation causes, and the possibility of the need for widespread reform.

Methods: The foundation, according to a source in the H-L story, “blurs a number of Senate ethics and Internal Revenue Service rules regarding outside income for members of Congress, legitimate uses for tax-exempt charities and whether Bunning — as a paid employee — improperly dominates the foundation's board.” Analyzing just where the foundation is according to these rules would be interesting for readers.

Sources: I will investigate the Senate and IRS rules for any possible violations by Bunning or the foundation. I will also hopefully interview