Kahele spokesman Michael Ahn told Politico the congressman was making 'occasional flights to maintain his certification' but denied accusations that the flights violated House ethics rules. His absence prompted ethics questions about whether he was cashing in on his commercial pilot's job at Hawaiian Airlines-a speculation that his spokesman later confirmed. Kahele spent almost no time in Washington, D.C., this year, voting by proxy more than 120 times and in person just 5 times.

Hawaii Democratic representative Kai Kahele is flying high.įollowing reports he shirked congressional duties to keep his second job as a pilot, the one-term congressman is leaving Congress to run for governor of his state.