Staffer claims Rep. Burns broke rules

By Jeffrey McMurray

WASHINGTON — A congressional aide recently fired by Georgia Rep. Max Burns lashed out at his former boss Wednesday with a widely distributed e-mail, accusing him of violating ethics rules by basing an official personnel decision on campaign fund-raising.
Chris Ingram, who had served as the chief of staff and campaign manager for the Republican freshman, wrote that Burns told him last week he was being dismissed on the recommendation of a Republican campaign organization.
In an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press, Burns refused to comment on personnel matters but said ‘‘the issue of our chief of staff has nothing to do with any campaign-related issues.’’
Ingram, who had split his time between official congressional business and working for the campaign, said he always heard only praise from Burns about his work as chief of staff. He said the congressman made him the scapegoat for lagging fund-raising totals heading into his re-election campaign. Democrats say Burns’ predominantly Democratic district in eastern Georgia is one of their prime opportunities to gain a seat next year.
Ingram said his firing was a clear violation of House rules, which prohibit the mixing of campaign decisions and official congressional business. <-->