Report: Lawmaker gave scholarships to relatives

DALLAS, TX The Dallas Morning News reported Sunday that Eddie Bernice Johnson denied showing favoritism but later said she "unknowingly" erred with some of the privately funded grants.

Caucus members are given $10,000 annually to award in scholarships and have great leeway in how they pick winners. However, the awards include an anti-nepotism rule and a requirement that winners live or study in the lawmaker's district.

Johnson, a Democrat, told the newspaper she would work with the foundation to "rectify the financial situation." The foundation is not funded by taxpayer money.