North Carolina Democrats Seek Martin's Travel Records

North Carolina Democratic Party Files Freedom of Information Act to Investigate if Federal Communications Commission Chairman Is Running for Office

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/13/2008 2:21:00 PM

The North Carolina Democratic Party filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Federal Communications Commission to obtain chairman Kevin Martin's travel records, according to a copy of the request supplied to B&C.

Martin has been rumored to be considering a run for office in his home state of North Carolina, although he has said when asked by reporters that he has no such current plans and is focusing on his job at the FCC.

"The chairman is not running for office in North Carolina," an FCC spokeswoman said, "and has no current plans to leave the job. They are welcome to FOIA the information.”

“Members of Congress who are running for office are closely regulated to ensure that they are not campaigning on the taxpayer dollar,” NCDP chair Jerry Meek said in the release. “Why shouldn’t Kevin Martin be held to the same standard?”

The request, dated Feb. 13, asks for records on each time, if any, he has traveled to North Carolina on taxpayer funds since he became a commissioner in July 2001; who he met with; and what he talked about.

In an e-mailed release, which included a copy of the request, the Democratic party talked about Martin's resume of service with Ken Starr and the Bush re-election campaign and referred to an ongoing House investigation of FCC procedures to paint the chairman as someone the party needs to be concerned about.

A party spokesman had not returned a call at press time about what specifically prompted the FOIA request, but the party cited a pair of stories that talked only in vague terms of Martin’s possible political plans.