WASHINGTON (AP) — Four House lawmakers say they had no idea that a 2013 congressional trip to Azerbaijan was paid for by that country's government.
Aides to Reps. Ted Poe and Ruben Hinojosa of Texas, Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma and Leonard Lance of New Jersey say lawmakers got approval for the May 2013 trip from the House Ethics committee.
Two Houston-based nonprofit corporations told the committee they were sponsoring the conference in the capital city of Baku, near the Caspian Sea.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Azerbaijan's state-owned oil company allegedly paid $750,000 to cover travel expenses for the lawmakers — as well as scarves, rugs and other gifts — by sending funds through the nonprofit corporations.
Congressional rules bar foreign governments from paying for travel by members of Congress.