PMA’s Directors Became Big Donors
February 13, 2009
In 2006, the PMA Group, a powerhouse Washington, D.C., lobbying firm, added to its board of directors two Floridians who were not lobbyists and apparently had no connection to politics, but who became prodigious donors to the firm’s favored Members of Congress.
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War Chests Used to Pay Legal Bills
February 11, 2009
Even among those with established defense funds, lawmakers facing legal scrutiny continue to rely primarily on campaign cash to finance their defense strategies, according to a Roll Call analysis of legal spending.
Gregg Says He’s Not Target of Abramoff Probe
February 5, 2009
Although a former top aide to Sen. Judd Gregg (R) allegedly accepted more than $10,000 in gifts from disgraced ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff and associates, the New Hampshire Senator said Wednesday that he is not a target in the Justice Department’s ongoing probe.
Rangel’s Finances Under Review
February 4, 2009
The House ethics committee is conducting a detailed investigation of the finances of Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), his office said Tuesday, though Rangel continues to contend that he expects the allegations against him to be quickly dismissed after the committee is formally organized for the 111th Congress.
Report: All Is Quiet on Ethics Front
February 2, 2009
For the second year in a row, the Senate Ethics Committee conducted no investigations that resulted in disciplinary actions, according to the panel’s annual report.
Six Degrees of Alan Mollohan
January 29, 2009
On March 22, 2004, Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.) collected just over $300,000 for his re-election campaign, more than half the total that he spent for the two-year election cycle.
Of the donations he collected that day, at least $100,000 came from individuals tied to companies that have addresses in the office park built around the Alan B. Mollohan Innovation Center and operated by the West Virginia High Technology Cooperative, a foundation that Mollohan helped create.
Rangel Money Is Returned
January 27, 2009
Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) confirmed Monday that he has returned campaign contributions from Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), in expectation that the House ethics committee will soon renew its investigation of the senior Democrat.
Ethics Overseers Get Started
January 22, 2009
The fledgling House Office of Congressional Ethics will host an open meeting on Friday to evaluate its proposed rules and procedures, which include guidelines for how the independent panel will accept grievances.
Judge Goes After Stevens Prosecutors
January 15, 2009
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan on Wednesday lambasted federal prosecutors for failing to reveal that an FBI agent was denied whistle-blower status after alleging misconduct by his fellow investigators in the case against ex-Sen. Ted Stevens’ (R-Alaska).
Ethics Report Tallies Inquiries
January 12, 2009
The House ethics committee scrutinized nearly two dozen Members and aides in the 110th Congress, the panel revealed in its biennial report.
Watchdog Offers Scandal Tips
January 8, 2009
After years of ginning up news stories exposing the misdeeds of Members of Congress, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is now offering to help Members avoid such stories in the future.
Ethics Panels Facing Slow Start
January 7, 2009
With the exit of two indicted House Members and a convicted felon from the Senate — along with a handful of other lawmakers shadowed by federal inquiries — ethics reform appears unlikely to return to the spotlight in the 111th Congress.
Ethics Rules Get Minor Tweak for 111th
January 6, 2009
House Democrats will leave the chamber’s ethics rules largely untouched in the 111th Congress following major revisions in the last session, senior Democratic aides said Monday.
Although several government watchdog groups urged Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) to make adjustments to existing rules — including those governing disclosure of job negotiations and how quadrennial convention parties are funded — the House Rules Committee appears to have fine-tuned only one guideline.
Obama Seat Still a Prize
December 11, 2008
The chaos following Tuesday’s arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) for allegedly conspiring to sell President-elect Barack Obama’s Senate seat has not cooled the ardor of ambitious Land of Lincoln politicians who want to succeed Obama in the Senate.
GOP Seeks High Ground, but Truce Likely to Hold
December 10, 2008
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) urged Republican lawmakers this week to reclaim the high ground on Congressional ethics, but his call appears unlikely to reignite a long-dormant ethics war even as allegations of misconduct touched several Democratic lawmakers in recent days.
Fossella Sentenced to Five Days
December 9, 2008
Rep. Vito Fossella was ordered Monday to serve five days in jail on a drunken-driving charge, but his imprisonment will likely be delayed because the New York Republican plans to appeal his case before a jury.
Jefferson Could Tap Campaign Funds
December 9, 2008
While Rep. William Jefferson (D) lost his bid for re-election Saturday, any cash remaining in the Louisianan’s campaign coffers could find a new use in his legal defense fund.
Under guidelines issued by the Office of Government Ethics and the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct governing legal funds, Jefferson is not prohibited from converting his unused campaign funds to the legal defense fund he established in 2005.
Members’ Office Accounts Misstated
December 8, 2008
In a scene that echoes the House Bank scandal of the early 1990s, recently released quarterly spending records show dozens of Members with office accounts — covering staff salaries, supplies and travel expenses — in the red by thousands of dollars three months before the close of the 110th Congress.
Only it’s all a mistake.
Stevens’ Attorneys Request ‘Fair’ Trial for Their Client
December 8, 2008
Attorneys for Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) demanded a new trial Friday, claiming a range of alleged injustices that include government prosecutors tampering with witnesses and evidence, as well as a tainted jury pool.
Chaplain’s Work With Abusers Was Little-Known
November 20, 2008
In March 2000, then-Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), attempting to quell a firestorm of Democratic criticism that he was anti-Catholic, appointed a Catholic priest as the new Chaplain for the House of Representatives. Hastert told his colleagues that the Rev. Daniel Coughlin came with the “highest recommendations” from Cardinal Francis George of the Chicago Archdiocese, and that Coughlin “has been a parish priest and spent the past several years counseling parish priests within the archdiocese.”
Lawyer Hopes to Subpoena Chambliss
November 20, 2008
In an effort to compel a deposition from Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), a Georgia attorney said he will argue that the lawmaker went outside the bounds of constitutional Speech or Debate protections when he met with accident victims earlier this year.
Court to Rule on Protected Speech in Murtha Case
November 19, 2008
In a case that could further define what constitutes protected speech for lawmakers, government attorneys argued in federal appeals court on Tuesday that Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) is immune from a libel lawsuit over his comments about a 2005 incident in Haditha, Iraq.
Frosh Could Join ‘50 Richest’
November 10, 2008
Last week’s elections have created room in one of Washington, D.C.’s most exclusive clubs: Six members of Roll Call’s “50 Richest Members of Congress” will be gone in January.
But fear not — the freshman class of 2009 is bringing reinforcements who appear ready to join the high-rollers on the Hill.
Scandalized Lawmakers Face Voters
November 4, 2008
While there’s never a shortage of scandal on Capitol Hill — the sins of lawmakers exposed in recent months range from secret love children to unpaid taxes — misdeeds in the 110th Congress just aren’t generating a commotion this cycle.
Rangel’s Attorney Says Auditor Yet to Be Hired
October 28, 2008
An attorney for House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (N.Y.) acknowledged Monday that more than six weeks after the senior Democrat announced he would hire a forensic auditor to scour his tax and financial records, he has yet to do so, saying an extensive review process has delayed any action.
- Panel Created for Rangel Inquiry
Experts Fault Bush’s Mortgage Strategy
October 23, 2008
President Bush during his first term aggressively sought to loosen mortgage loan qualification standards for first-time homebuyers, seeking to reduce or even eliminate down payments for those who might otherwise have trouble affording their loans.
The Man With the Golden Portfolio
October 1, 2008
As the Wall Street bailout bill went down to defeat and the stock market nosedived on Monday, it must have been good to be Rep. Ron Paul.
The Texas Congressman and former Republican presidential candidate is heavily invested in gold mines and other precious metals, which rose nicely as the price of gold crested around $900 per ounce — about $200 higher than it was a year ago.
Mahoney Taken To Court In Rent Case
September 18, 2008
These days, even wealthy Members of Congress are singing the economic blues.
According to court documents obtained by Roll Call, millionaire Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-Fla.) wound up before a Washington, D.C., judge last year for bouncing a rent check on his Capitol Hill apartment, while Florida property records show that the freshman lawmaker’s South Florida district residence is a horse barn.
Craig’s Lawyer Argues Before Appeals Court
September 11, 2008
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Sen. Larry Craig’s (R-Idaho) attorneys made one more attempt to clear his name after his criminal conviction last year in a sex-sting operation at the Minneapolis airport.
Craig’s lawyer, D.C. attorney Billy Martin, told the Minnesota Court of Appeals that Craig should be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea because the evidence neither supported nor refuted Craig’s guilt.
Doolittle Ex-Aide Indicted
September 9, 2008
The indictment of one of Jack Abramoff’s lobbying associates on Monday offered a new picture of the direct contacts between Abramoff’s lobbying team and Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.), including a hint that Doolittle spoke to Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) about a project on Abramoff’s behalf.
Abramoff Sentenced to Four More Years
September 4, 2008
Jack Abramoff, who was at the center of the capital’s biggest lobbying scandal in decades, was sentenced Thursday to 48 months in federal prison for charges relating to defrauding American Indian tribes and corruption of public officials.
Party Vetters Say Questions Never End
September 4, 2008
For the past several months, ethics lawyers have faced a flurry of queries as companies, lobbyists and nonprofits have grappled with the new ethics rules ahead of the national conventions.
Palin Faces a Legal Showdown Back Home
September 3, 2008
Before she ever sets foot in the White House, the Republican vice presidential nominee, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, in the coming weeks may face a subpoena to testify before a state Senate committee investigating alleged abuses of executive power.
School Pays Biden Healthy Stipend
August 26, 2008
Sen. Joseph Biden (Del.), the Democratic vice presidential pick, is the only Member of the Senate who is also being paid to be an adjunct university professor, and his pay for that job did not decline when he cut his teaching time in half five years ago.
Obama, Others Trip on Disclosures
July 31, 2008
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) failed to report about $2,000 in capital gains from a stock sale in 2005, and he will join a parade of other Members by filing an amendment to his financial disclosure form to correct it, his office said Wednesday.
Knollenberg Lowballs D.C. House
July 29, 2008
Since 2003, Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-Mich.) has underreported the value of his Capitol Hill townhouse by hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in his personal financial disclosure forms, an apparent violation of House rules.
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