The FBI is
investigating an incident last summer when about 20 GOP lawmakers and staff took
a dip in the Sea of Galilee-some partially clothed and one completely
nude.
“A year ago, my
wife, Brooke, and I joined colleagues for dinner at the Sea of Galilee in
Israel. After dinner I followed some Members of Congress in a spontaneous and
very brief dive into the sea and regrettably I jumped into the water without a
swimsuit,” Yoder said in a statement to POLITICO.
Several
lawmakers privately admitted that alcohol may have played a role in why some of
those present decided to jump in. Daily Beast
During a
fact-finding congressional trip to Israel last summer, Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.)
took off his clothes and jumped into the sea, joining a number of members, their
families and GOP staff during a night out in Israel, the sources told POLITICO.
Other
participants, including the daughter of another congressman, swam fully clothed
while some lawmakers partially disrobed. More than 20 people took part in the
late-night dip in the sea, according to sources who were participants in the
trip. The FBI has
looked into whether any inappropriate behavior occurred. After the lawmakers and
staff returned to the United States, FBI agents questioned congressional staff
about the trip. Majority Leader
Eric Cantor (R-Va.), who was the senior most GOP lawmaker in Israel on the trip,
was so upset about the antics that he rebuked the lawmakers the morning after the
Aug. 18, 2011, incident, saying they were distracting from the mission of the
trip. Majority Whip
Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was also on the privately funded excursion, which
means two of the three top Republicans were a part of this trip. Neither Cantor
nor McCarthy went swimming that night, the sources said. Some of their staff
did. The American
Israel Educational Foundation, a group related to AIPAC, the prominent
pro-Israel lobby, sponsored the trip, which ran from Aug. 13 to Aug. 21, 2011.
The trip cost
AIEF upwards of $10,000 per person, according to records filed with the House
Ethics Committee. More than 60 people took part in this AIEF trip.
Politico
AHT/HJ
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