Dan Seals on Ethics

What He Says

"Shouldn't a congressman have the courage to do what's right?" – Dan Seals, 2006 TV ad


His Record

March 2005 -- Dan Seals was trained and recruited to run for Congress by convicted felon Robert Creamer, according to an interview given by a Democratic Committeewoman and a party newsletter published in March 2005. Creamer, husband of U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), served five months in prison after pleading guilty to tax fraud and check kiting.

1/5/06 – Dan Seals filed his first official Financial Disclosure as a candidate for U.S. House several days after the legal deadline. Under House Ethics Rules, a candidate for office must file a Financial Disclosure with the U.S. House of Representatives no later than 30 days after raising or spending $5,000. According to Seals' report with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), he reached the candidacy threshold on December 1, 2005. However, Seals did not sing his Financial Disclosure statement until January 5, 2006. Seals began his campaign for Congress by breaking

House ethics rules.

2/28/06 – Dan Seals may have traded campaign contributions for a Democratic primary endorsement in 2006. During his hotly contested primary election against Zane Smith, the Democrats of Northfield Township endorsed Seals on January 29, 2006. According to Seals' report with the FEC, Seals then contributed $750 to the Democrats of Northfield Township on February 28, 2006 and another $1,148 on October 10, 2006.

Fall 2006 – Dan Seals paid himself $25,000 in special interest campaign funds during his 2006 campaign for Congress, according to his 2007 Financial Disclosure report with the U.S. House of Representatives and Seals' report with the FEC.

10/27/06 – Attorney General Lisa Madigan ordered an inspector general investigation into a state worker's illegal fundraising for Dan Seals on state time using state resources. (Chicago Tribune, 10/29/06)

5/7/07 -- Dan Seals filed his 2007 Financial Disclosure with the House of Representatives. In Schedule IV -- a section reserved for board, officer or honorary positions -- Seals lists himself as "Director, GE Commercial Finance." In fact, Mr. Seals never served on the Board of Directors of General Electric. Dan Seals knowingly falsified his Financial Disclosure in order to inflate his resume and cover up his currently unemployed status -- a direct violation of 5 U.S.C. app. 4 § 104(a) and 18 U.S.C. § 1001.

Fall 2007 – Three Chicago Democratic activists funneled more than $46,000 to the candidate to help keep him afloat in 2007 as Seals entered his second year of chronic unemployment. According to Seals' 2008 Financial Disclosure report with the U.S. House, Seals received the money as salary for three months of work at a Website that makes no profit. (Watch this Web video for more about this incident)

4/15/08 – Dan Seals knowingly filed a false April Quarterly disclosure with the FEC, failing to disclose an in-kind contribution to Bill Foster for Congress. While Foster's campaign report disclosed receipt of a March 27, 2008 in-kind contribution from Dan Seals for Congress, the Seals campaign failed to disclose it in violation of federal election law.

5/15/08 – Dan Seals filed his 2008 Financial Disclosure with the House of Representatives. In Schedule IV -- a section reserved for board, officer or honorary positions -- Mr. Seals lists himself as "Professor" at Northwestern University. But on January 31, 2008, Northwestern spokesman Chuck Loebbaka told the Chicago Tribune, "Seals official title will be lecturer." Yet again, Dan Seals knowingly falsified his Financial Disclosure in order to inflate his resume and cover up his currently unemployed status -- a direct violation of 5 U.S.C. app. 4 § 104(a) and 18 U.S.C. § 1001.

5/20/08 -- Dan Seals this week invited former congressman and convicted felon Dan Rostenkowski to speak to night school students about federal policymaking and then took money from Rostenkowski in front of the class. (Watch this Web video for more about this incident)

5/22/08 – From 12 to 1 pm on May 22, 2008, Dan Seals subsidized gasoline purchases for voters seeking to refuel their automobiles at the Marathon Gas Station in Lincolnshire, IL at 435 North Milwaukee Ave. Seals and campaign workers passed out bumper stickers to motorists. Title 18, Section 597 of U.S. Code states, "Whoever makes or offers to make an expenditure to any person, either to vote or withhold his vote, or to vote for or against any candidate shall be fined not more than $10,000 under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if the violation was willful, shall be fined not more than $10,000 under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both." Seals was later fined $2,200 by the Lincolnshire Police. (Watch the news report on the event)