LJWorld.com

U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun, R-Kan., issued a statement Wednesday explaining his discounted purchase of a home in 2000 from a nonprofit group that critics say was a slush fund for disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

In late 2000, Ryun and his wife bought a townhome from U.S. Family Network, a group that purported to be a nationwide grass-roots network but was mainly funded by corporations linked to Abramoff, according to news reports. An article in Sunday's Washington Post reported that Edwin Buckham - former chief of staff for Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, a close associate of Abramoff's - received more than one-third of the group's $3.02 million in revenue.

When U.S. Family Network bought the townhome in January 1999, it paid $429,000. In December 2000, the group sold the townhome to Ryun and his wife for $410,000, a decline in price that critics are calling a de facto gift.

For example, Mike Gaughan, executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party, said Wednesday that the episode is a sign Ryun is beholden to DeLay and to what he called the "culture of corruption" in Washington.

"I hope he can point to the specific ways that Kansas families benefit from these relationships," Gaughan said. "Obviously he benefits from it."

But Ryun, whose district includes west Lawrence, issued a statement Wednesday that characterized his purchase of the home as practical - not the result of some sweetheart deal. Ryun said that because of escalating rents in Washington, he started to look for a home in Washington in late spring 2000. He said he recalled news reports that U.S. Family Network was having trouble and might need to sell the home.

"I inquired of Ed Buckham in late 2000 about who I would need to talk to about whether USFN would be selling the house," Ryun's statement said.

He said he spoke to an attorney representing the group in fall 2000 and entered into negotiations to buy the property.

A housing inspection found a structural problem with a bathroom that needed to be repaired for between $10,000 and $20,000, Ryun said. He asked U.S. Family Network to consider that as they negotiated a price.

"I also agreed not to use a Realtor, so as to save the USFN the 6 percent commission, a savings to USFN of $24,600," his statement said.

Ryun said the price was in the range of other nearby homes sold around the same time. He cited the example of another home on the block that sold for $409,000 the same month.