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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Second ethics complaint to be filed against Wasserman Schultz over DNC ad (Daily Caller)

The Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) will submit a new ethics complaint against Democratic National Committee Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, The Daily Caller has learned.

The complaint, which will be filed on Thursday with the Office of Congressional Ethics, takes issue with DNC ads that appear to violate House rules.

Thursday’s complaint will be the second the RNLA has leveled at Wasserman Schultz. Earlier this week the group sent a letter to the OCE about a 30-second ad touting President Barack Obama’s jobs plan. The video featured footage from Obama’s Sept. 8 speech to a joint session of Congress.

House ethics rules prohibit members of Congress from using footage of official House proceedings for political purposes.

The letter that will be sent Thursday doubles down on the original complaint, targeting newly-released Spanish-language ads in Tampa, Denver, Miami and Las Vegas. The ads proclaim in Spanish: “In the face of Republicans, the President can’t do it alone. Read the plan. Stand together for more jobs.”

The RNLA letter calls for an immediate investigation by OCE and the House Ethics Committee. (RELATED: Second ethics complaint to be filed against Wasserman Schultz for DNC ad)

“The Obama Administration, the DNC and the Democrat leadership in the House believe in rules only as they apply to others,” RNLA Chairman David Norcross said in a statement.

“At a time when the president and the House Minority Leader repeatedly plead for bi-partisanship they spare no effort to be confrontational wherever and whenever possible,” Norcross said. “They certainly don’t let House rules stand in their way.”

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Sunday, September 25, 2011

Republican legal group files ethics complaint against Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Daily Caller)

Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida is the subject of a new ethics complaint filed in the Office of Congressional Ethics. The Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) filed the complaint in response to a video the Democratic National Committee (DNC), which Wasserman Schultz chairs, released last week.

As The Daily Caller previously reported, the DNC ad promoting President Barack Obama’s American Jobs Act appeared to violate House ethics rules that prevent footage of floor proceedings from being used for political purposes. The 30-second ad, however, featured only footage of the president’s recent speech to a joint session of Congress — not speeches of members of Congress themselves.

Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem for the DNC. But since Wasserman Schultz is a member of Congress, some say the House ethics rules now apply to the DNC.

“This carefully orchestrated political campaign is consistent with a disturbing pattern of President Obama’s misuse of official resources for political purposes,” read the RNLA’s complaint. “Now it appears he has not only misused the resources of his own office, but he has engaged Representative Wasserman Schultz in the misuse of coverage of House proceedings, in direct violation of her ethical duties as a Member of Congress.”

The rule in question is House Rule 5, clause 2(c)(1), which says, “Broadcast coverage and recordings of House floor proceedings may not be used for any political purpose.”

Additionally, House Rule 11, clause 4(b) says that “radio and television tapes and film of any coverage of House committee proceedings may not be use, or made available for use, as partisan political campaign material to promote or oppose the candidacy of any person for public office.” (RELATED: Does a new DNC ad violate House ethics rules?

According to the Office of Congressional Ethics website, once a complaint is filed, two board members may conduct a preliminary review – a process that takes 30 days – to determine if all information available provides a reasonable basis that a violation occurred.

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Tuesday, July 5, 2011

NRCC slams Richardson, Dems for damning new ethics complaint by watchdog group (Daily Caller)

Republicans are blasting California Democrat Rep. Laura Richardson and House Democrats over a damning new ethics complaint by watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) that appears to show California Democrat Rep. Laura Richardson and her staff clearly violating congressional ethics rules and potentially federal law.

CREW’s complaint includes new documents that show Richardson using official taxpayer resources for political events, including fundraisers.

“This is just another disturbing example of a major ethics violation plaguing Nancy Pelosi’s caucus. Instead of working to fix America’s broken economy, Laura Richardson is breaking ethics rules to get reelected,” said NRCC spokesman Tyler Q. Houlton.

The hit from the Republican’s campaign committee comes as a spokesman for Richardson is failing to deny the allegations in a response.

Documents included in CREW’s complaint — which requests the F.B.I. investigate potential violations of federal law — show in startlingly explicit email messages staffers intimately involved in political campaign activities with official taxpayer resources.

In one instance, Richardson’s chief of staff, Shirley Cooks, told all of Richardson’s aides in an email from her official House account, “All staff are required to attend” a fundraiser held Sept. 29, 2010, adding, “Bring spouses and tell interns they have to be there as well. Thanks.” damning new ethics complaint

Another staffer, Daysha Austin, then a district scheduler, told staffers, “The Congresswoman is asking all staff that one has to wear their staff shirt to tomorrow’s event so we can be visible and easily identified.”

The “staff shirt,” pictured in CREW’s complaint, features a logo that says “California’s 37th Congressional District,” the district that Richardson represents.

The demands on staff to attend a fundraiser and use of official email accounts and resources to coordinate political activities clearly violate congressional ethics rules that taxpayer dollars “may not pay for campaign expenses.”

A strict wall separates official congressional office work from political campaigning; lawmakers and their staff may not even make one phone call for campaign purposes from a congressional office phone, for instance.

While it’s not uncommon for lawmakers to stretch these rules to a degree, flagrant rule breaking in written documents is highly unusual.

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