The Tea Party movement, earlier labeled by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham as unsustainable, has focused its anger and energy toward Graham whose is not up for re-election until 2014.  Graham has been criticized by members of the Tea Party and other conservative groups as being a liberal.  They cite his efforts to work with democrats for compromises on issues like immigration and health care, and his vote to confirm Obama nominee Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Graham met with Tea Party members in Charleston Thursday night to listen to their concerns and to drive home the point that he is still very much a conservative. Clemson Political Science Professor David Woodard says Thursday night’s meeting and any subsequent meetings with Tea Party members indicate that Graham now sees the Tea Party as a force to be reckoned with.

Woodard suspects that Graham got a “wake up call” on the growing power and influence of the Tea Party after one of his South Carolina GOP congressional colleagues, 4th District Congressman Bob Inglis, was soundly defeated in the Republican primary by South Carolina 7th Circuit Solicitor Trey Gowdy.

Following Thursday night’s meeting that was closed to media microphones and cameras, Graham told Charleston’s WCBD-TV that his message to Tea Party members is that he is a conservative, but he realizes that the strength of the country is compromise, finding common ground. Woodard considers Graham a very skilled politician and he thinks that his skills will be put to a stringent test as he attempts to lay out his positions on various issues to Tea Party members.

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Congressman Joe Wilson’s government-funded travel spending is being called into question by the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) as it enforces its new role on Capitol Hill.  A handful of lawmakers from both parties are reportedly under scrutiny by the House Ethics Committee at the urging of OCE.

At issue for Wilson is approximately $12 spent on small goblet souvenirs at $1.66 each for South Carolina servicemen in Afghanistan during one of his congressional delegation (CODEL) visits there. In an email sent to supporters, Wilson’s campaign manager shows the item and explains the reasons for purchasing.

AUDIO: Congressman Wilson explains his spending procedures, says items that he buys that are personal, he pays for with his money (2:23)

Wilson’s opponent Rob Miller introduced the topic of per diem tracking as a major part of his platform in late July. He calls Wilson’s recent trip to the Afghanistan war zone a “junket”  and documents sent to SCRN by the Miller campaign accuse Wilson of “misusing hundreds of thousands of taxpayer money for his personal use.”  Wilson responds that CODEL trips are important in his role on the House Armed Services Committee.

AUDIO: Wilson stands by visits with the troops (:28)

Wilson says his per diem for Afghanistan was $13 a day for canteen purchases at the embassy. Various Washington, D.C.  media outlets report that other lawmakers under scrutiny are Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-TX), Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and former Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN).  See how the process works.

When OCE sends the complaint to the House Ethics Committee, that marks the second phase of the review, which is then completed in 45 days.

The issue was broached by a March article in the Wall Street Journal in which Wilson mentioned the goblet purchase. In a follow-up article this past Wednesday, the WSJ reports that the probe began after the story was published.

Tracking this activity is difficult, as few records and no receipts have been required for per diem stipends.