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GOP Distancing Itself From David Rivera

MIAMI (CBS4) - The trouble swirling around freshman U.S. Congressman David Rivera has at least one top Republican in the House worried as the GOP distances itself from Rivera.

GOP House Majority Leader Eric Cantor told reporters that he's "very concerned" about the scandals that have plagued Rivera since before he took office.

Rivera is at the center of several scandals the CBS4 I-Team has uncovered including: the GOP not being able to account for funds given to Rivera; he was reportedly given $137,000 from the company operated by his mother; and Rivera arranged for a company to be secretly paid more than $500,000 by Flagler Dog Track in exchange for Rivera's work on the 2008 referendum that brought casino style slot machines to Miami-Dade tracks.

"I'm obviously very concerned about the reports surrounding those investigations," Cantor said at a press conference Monday. "But we'll wait to see the results."

Cantor has already shunned Rivera when the House Majority Leader held a fundraiser in Miami on February 20. According to CBS Miami news partners the Miami Herald, Cantor's spokesman said Rivera's absence was not a mistake.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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