Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is accepting campaign donations from companies handling the BP oil spill cleanup while he overseas the cleanup, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

 

Worley Catastrophe Response is a Hammond, La.-based company that processes damage claims for BP. The company’s chief executive, Mike Worley, will be hosting a fundraising event on March 29 for Jindal, a Republican who has been on an aggressive march to raise cash for his 2011 re-election campaign. The Worley fundraiser will be a $1,000-per-plate cocktail reception.

 

Jindal is reported to have raised more than $9 million so far. With all that money in the bank, why take the political risk of attending a dinner hosted by a company so closely involved with the spill? According to the Times-Picayune, Jindal’s office doesn’t see a problem. “Obviously the governor is running for re-election, and he wants the support of all people in Louisiana,” Jindal spokesman Kyle Plotkin told the paper.

 

Some in Louisiana don’t agree. “Gov. Jindal is essentially taking money from somebody who works for BP at the same time he's supposed to be holding BP accountable," said Louisiana Democratic Party spokesman Kevin Franck.