In 1981 , it was revealed in internal memos that Bedell may have known about potential customs violations that his company engaged in . It asserted that Bedell had gone to Taiwan in 1973 to discuss " prior violations of customs law " in regards to the sale of fishing rods from the company 's Taiwan subsidiary . Bedell responded by denying any wrongdoing , saying that he have not been personally involved in the company in years . In the end , no charges was levied against him , and he was reelected after the story was published .