Congressman Peter Welch has received $8,000 this election cycle from the PAC of cable giant Comcast, while his wife sits on a state regulatory board considering a major case involving the company.
Public Service Board member Margaret Cheney tells The Associated Press she had no knowledge of the contributions.
Ethics codes issued by the administration of Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin and by the board say officials should take steps to guard against situations in which their impartiality could be questioned.
Cyrus Patten, of the group Campaign for Vermont, which promotes government ethics and transparency, says Welch and Cheney should know about any such situations and take steps to avoid them.
A Welch spokeswoman says he denies any impropriety.
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