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.
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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.
Stevens Juror Lied About Father’s Death
November 3, 2008
The juror who was dismissed from the criminal trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) to attend the funeral of her father in California admitted Monday that her father had not died, and that she went to California to attend a horse race.
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
- Broun’s Office Funds Run Low
- Staff Turnover Hobbles Ethics
- Members Dig Into Mortgages
- Conrad, Dodd Deny Wrongdoing in Countrywide Case
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.
Rep. Broun’s Budget Depleted by Mailings
August 21, 2008
Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) reported spending more than 80 percent of his Congressional office budget in the first six months of the year, House records show, leaving the freshman lawmaker with meager funds to meet basic office needs — including staff salaries — through the end of the 110th Congress.
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.
Report: DOJ Hiring Practices Changed
July 29, 2008
With the encouragement of senior Bush administration aides who overhauled hiring practices, GOP Senators and House Members hand-picked federal immigration judges between 2004 and 2006, according to a Justice Department report released Monday.
Skaggs Planning First Steps for Ethics Panel
July 28, 2008
Former Rep. David Skaggs (D-Colo.), the newly appointed chairman of the Office of Congressional Ethics, said Friday that he will speak to fellow board members this week to arrange its first formal meeting, though few observers expect the entity to become fully active before the end of the 110th Congress.
Costello Seeks Ethics Advice
July 24, 2008
Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) said Wednesday he will ask the House ethics committee whether he may continue to seek earmarks for a community college in his district after his wife was named president of the school last week.
Former Members Headed to Ethics Panel
July 21, 2008
Former lawmakers are expected to make up at least a third of the new Office of Congressional Ethics, which remains dormant more than a week after it was permitted to begin work as House leaders continue to negotiate over would-be board members.
Activists to Members: Skip Parties
July 17, 2008
Government watchdog activists are appealing to Members to skip lobbyist-sponsored parties at the upcoming national political conventions, arguing that the fetes violate the spirit of House rules despite ethics panel guidance that suggests otherwise.
House Ethics Panel Leaves Funding Unspent
July 16, 2008
The House ethics panel has left significant portions of its annual budget unspent during each of the past five years, a review of House spending records shows.
Hackers Hit 15 Offices in House
July 10, 2008
Computer hackers who infiltrated House computers in late 2006 compromised as many as 50 machines throughout the chamber, according to a memorandum prepared by the Information Systems Security Office.
Teaching Can Pay Off
July 9, 2008
Most part-time university professors are paid quite modestly, but that rule does not appear to apply to some Members of Congress who dabble in academia.
The average adjunct faculty member earns anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000 per course, and possibly as much as $10,000 at the graduate level, according to experts in the field, though universities have wide latitude to set salaries for part-timers.
Moore Staffers Used Office E-mail for Slattery
July 7, 2008
On several occasions this spring, staff members in the office of Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan.) used their House e-mail accounts to circulate political information about the Senate campaign of former Rep. Jim Slattery (D-Kan.) in violation of House rules and, potentially, federal law.
Cooper Download Questioned
June 30, 2008
The House has apparently not been contacted by the FBI in regard to allegations that Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) improperly downloaded documents from the Web site of a trade group he is investigating, and the trade group making the allegation could provide no independent evidence to support its blockbuster claim that the bureau is investigating the matter.
Biting a Feeding Hand
June 30, 2008
Several Republican lawmakers said last week that they will keep recent campaign contributions from Countrywide Financial — even as those Members call for House investigations into the mortgage company over allegations it gave sweetheart loans to VIP borrowers, including two Senate Democrats.
Two Weeks Until Start Date, Ethics Board Awaits Picks
June 25, 2008
The new Office of Congressional Ethics is authorized to initiate investigations beginning two weeks from today, but House leaders have yet to announce a slate of board members, and many potential nominees said Tuesday that they have not been contacted by House officials.
Ridge Files Very Late for Albania
June 24, 2008
For almost two years former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge failed to register a nearly half-million-dollar lobbying contract that he had with the government of Albania.
Ridge filed a registration statement on behalf of the country earlier this month after being contacted by the Department of Justice.
Wedding Gifts OK Under Rules
June 23, 2008
Wedding bells chimed for a handful of Members last year — when at least six House lawmakers tied the knot — but there are no telltale toasters, bread-makers or china settings to be found in recently released financial disclosures.
Renzi Colleague Faces Sentence
June 19, 2008
The recent conviction of the alleged co-conspirator in the public corruption case against Rep. Rick Renzi on separate charges in Texas could hand prosecutors a new tool in their case against the Arizona Republican, according to several legal experts.
Earmark Drove Jefferson Case
June 18, 2008
A federal grant that prosecutors claim was misappropriated by family members of Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) apparently originated as a last-minute Congressional earmark in a 2003 appropriations bill. Though it is not certain that Jefferson requested the money, no other Louisiana lawmakers have taken credit for it.
Members Get Social Security Checks
June 18, 2008
When Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) turned 66 last September, he did what many Americans his age do: He applied to receive Social Security payments.
That put the Illinois lawmaker among the 50 million expected to receive Social Security payments in 2008, according to the agency that oversees the program, but it also puts him in a much smaller group: the handful of Members who are actively reaping the benefits of the New Deal program.
Dodd Denies Special Treatment
June 18, 2008
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) acknowledged Tuesday that Countrywide Financial informed him in 2003 that his mortgages would be designated as “VIP” accounts, but he denied that he received any unusual benefits from the lender.
Sweeney Ex-Wife’s Role Is Scrutinized
June 12, 2008
Federal investigators appear to be looking into work performed by the ex-wife of former Rep. John Sweeney (R-N.Y.) while she was on the payroll of an Albany lobbying firm with close ties to Sweeney.
Exiting Staffers Still Favor K St.
June 11, 2008
Although Congress adopted stringent new rules last fall in an attempt to slow traffic between Capitol Hill and K Street, more than half of the senior House and Senate staffers who have left their posts in recent months have opted for jobs in lobbying, consulting and advocacy.
Murtha’s Cash for Students
June 9, 2008
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) has steered hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal and private money to a charity run by a Murtha protégé, which has as its primary mission handing out $250 checks to high school students in and around Murtha’s Congressional district.
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