CREW says the nature of David Vitter's demand for drilling permits could constitute bribery. | AP Photo CREW accuses Vitter of 'bribery'

A Washington watchdog group is singling out Sen. David Vitter, accusing the Louisiana Republican of attempted bribery.

Vitter last month blocked a proposed pay raise for Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in order to pressure the Obama administration to approve more offshore drilling permits. On Tuesday, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington asked the Senate ethics committee to investigate whether Vitter’s actions amounted to attempted bribery.


“I will end my efforts to block your salary increase” only when the rate of permits for deepwater wells had been increased by Interior to six per month, Vitter wrote in a letter to the Interior secretary.

Salazar makes about $19,600 less than other Cabinet secretaries because the Constitution prohibits a House or Senate member from being appointed to an executive branch job whose pay has risen during the lawmaker’s term. As a senator from Colorado, Salazar had voted to increase the salary for the Interior secretary. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accepted a lower salary for her post for the same reason.

But when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid suggested raising Salazar’s salary from his current $180,000, Vitter balked and tied it directly to the offshore drilling issue.

CREW says Vitter’s letter crossed the line and wants the ethics panel to investigate and refer the issue to the Justice Department if the evidence warrants.

“Whether it is a defense contractor buying French furniture for a congressman in exchange for earmarks, or a senator who ties a department secretary’s pay raise to approving permits, bribery is bribery,” CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan said in a statement. “Paying off government leaders to influence official actions is against the law, period.”

Salazar has asked Reid to drop the pay increase measure. “That position is wrong,” Salazar wrote to Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell last month. “And it must be made perfectly clear that his attempt cannot and will not affect the execution of the solemn legal responsibilities that the Department undertakes on behalf of the American people.”

Vitter spokesman Luke Bolar rejected the CREW complaint, saying the group "has a clear track record of filing frivolous, political attack complaints." Bolar added, “If CREW thinks this is bribery, then it should file complaints against Harry Reid for buying votes with the Louisiana Purchase and Cornhusker Kickback."

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 4:58 p.m. on June 21, 2011.