Muckraking site OpenSecrets.org decided to throw some fire on the Occupy Movement this week by estimating the net worth of every single member of Congress, from mighty Darrell Issa with his $700 million to Florida pauper Alcee Hastings, who owes nearly $5 million in unpaid legal fees.
Here in Miami, the most eye-opening revelation is that scandal plagued Rep. David Rivera has reported his worth at just $8,000, while hat-queen Frederica Wilson has $1.3 million, and Mario Diaz-Balart is almost $32,000 in the hole. In all, Florida's congressional caucus can count more than $170 million to their name.
OpenSecrets makes it clear that estimating net worth is not an exact science; the site tried to guesstimate each member's worth by combing through disclosure forms, and subtracting liabilities from assets.
Rivera's listing, however, shows the shortcomings of that methodology.
Based on his Congressional reports, Rivera lists his maximum net worth at just $8,000. Yet the freshman Republican faces multiple criminal investigations into his finances because casino interests have paid hundreds of thousands to companies closely linked to the legislator.
It's a safe bet that Rivera has a few more bucks in the bank that just 8 Gs.
Similarly, Riptide questions whether Diaz-Balart is really $32,000 in the red, as his Congressional reports lead the website's authors to believe. (If so, he should consider following his brother Lincoln's lead and quitting Congress to feed at the teat of Mother Genting.)
Here's the reported net worth of our local delegation, by OpenSecrets' reckoning:
- Sen. Bill Nelson: $3,765,503
- Sen. Marco Rubio: $379,505
- Rep. Frederica Wilson: $$1,329,006
- Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: $957,504
- Rep. David Rivera: $8,000
- Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart: - $32,500
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