In a written statement Thursday, Conallen added, "The congressman is generally aware of his daughter's company and the work she does for several of her clients. But the congressman has not discussed the specifics of Solutions North America's agreements with their clients or the nature of their representation."
Karen Weldon declined to say whether she discussed her clients with her father. But she said her firm's success was not due to his position in Congress.
"Because of who he is, people have questioned me all my life about whether I'm qualified and if I can do the job," she said. "I have nothing to hide. I haven't done anything inappropriate."
Going Into Business
Rep. Weldon, a former school teacher, was first elected to Congress in 1986 from the Republican suburbs southwest of Philadelphia. Over nine terms, he has moved up in seniority on the House Armed Services Committee. He is vice chairman -- the second-ranking Republican -- and chairman of its tactical air and land forces subcommittee.
Weldon, a Russian studies major in college, also is a noted advocate of closer relationships with the former Soviet Union. He has made more than 30 trips to Russia as a member of Congress. He is the founder and chairman of the Congressional U.S.-Former Soviet Union Energy Caucus and founder and co-chairman of the official interparliamentary exchange between the U.S. and Russia.
Today, Conallen said, "There is nobody in Congress more knowledgeable about Russia than Curt Weldon." That judgment is shared by many of Weldon's House colleagues.
Until she launched Solutions, Karen Weldon had been following a different career path. She had an undergraduate degree in education and a graduate degree in information systems.
She spent six years, she said, working on "learning and training programs" for Boeing Co., which has a helicopter plant at the edge of Rep. Weldon's district. Conallen said Weldon did not help his daughter get the job at Boeing, which is a frequent beneficiary of his work in Washington and one of his top campaign donors.
When she and Sexton opened their business in September 2002, Solutions' office consisted of a cubicle in a suburban Philadelphia office suite that provided a common receptionist and conference room for all 120 of its tenants. A few months later, Solutions opened a similar office in downtown Washington.
