Roll Call: Lewis Probe Heating Up
The investigation into dealings involving House Appropriations Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-CA) appears to be picking up steam. At least four clients of Copeland Lowery Jacquez and Denton — a lobby firm with notoriously close ties to Lewis — are confirmed to have received subpoenas. Feds are looking at the ties between Lewis and Copeland Lowery. “Copeland Loweryâs clients, many of which are in Lewisâ own district, are heavy donors to the California Republican,” Roll Call explains, “and they have received tens of millions of dollars in federal earmarks thanks to Lewisâ clout.”
Bar group will review Bush’s legal challenges
The board of governors of the American Bar Association voted unanimously yesterday to investigate whether President Bush has exceeded his constitutional authority in reserving the right to ignore more than 750 laws that have been enacted since he took office. (Boston Globe)
Jefferson Keeping Active
But his prominent role at New Orleans Mayor Naginâs inaugural ceremonies – Jefferson immediately followed Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) in the speaking order – seemed to suggest that Jefferson still retains much of the local power that has made him, over the course of a quarter-century in politics, a de facto boss of the Crescent City. (Roll Call)
Justice, House Set for Talks; House Counsel Backs Bid for Papers
Lawyers from the House and the Justice Department are expected to sit down within the next several days to begin negotiations on a set of procedures for dealing with possible future search warrants for Congressional offices. Separately, Judiciary Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) has pledged to craft legislation on that subject and to hold more hearings on the constitutionality of the Jefferson raid. On a parallel track, sources said House lawyers are expected to file a brief on behalf of the chamber in federal court on Tuesday supporting a motion by Jeffersonâs attorneys calling the search unconstitutional and asking that the FBI return the documents it took during the May 20 raid. That position will formally echo a demand that has previously been publicly made by Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). (Roll Call)
Ethics Issue May Not Rouse 11th District
“When I talk about ethics, the response quite often is, ‘Yeah, he’s a crook, but he’s our crook, and isn’t everybody a crook out there?’ ” McCloskey said in an interview last week. “I’m not sure it makes much of a dent on anyone in [California’s] San Joaquin Valley who’s worried about water, the traffic and air that has become some of the worst in California.” (WaPo)
Was the 2004 Election Stolen?
Republicans prevented more than 350,000 voters in Ohio from casting ballots or having their votes counted — enough to have put John Kerry in the White House. (Rolling Stone)
Was the 2004 election stolen? No.
In Rolling Stone, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argues that new evidence proves that Bush stole the election. But the evidence he cites isn’t new and his argument is filled with distortions and blatant omissions. (Salon)
Tom DeLay: Packin’ Up, Movin’ Out
Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s last day in Congress is Friday, and his staff are busy packing up his belongings. Surprisingly, Roll Call reports that even though he is under investigation, he is legally allowed to destroy any documents that have not been subpoena’ed to date. DeLay’s staff, however, insists they will be handing over The Hammer’s papers to a Texas-based institution of higher learning. (Roll Call)
Justice Dept. Official to Be Questioned in Tobacco Case
A federal judge ruled yesterday that Associate Attorney General Robert D. McCallum Jr. must undergo questioning in a lawsuit by a nonprofit group seeking records about the Justice Department’s conduct in a landmark case against the tobacco industry. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington sued last year after the department ignored the testimony of one of its own witnesses in the tobacco trial and reduced the amount the Bush administration is seeking from the tobacco industry from $130 billion to $10 billion. (WaPo)
Lobbying reform slow despite scandals
The stench of scandal on Capitol Hill is getting stronger five months after lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to influence-peddling charges, but a lobbying overhaul has yet to see the light of day. The Senate passed its version at the end of March and the House bill was approved in early May. In the month since, the House has not taken the next step, naming negotiators for talks with the Senate on a compromise bill. (AP, Provisions of the bill)
Conrad Burns Has One Busy DC Fundraising Schedule
t’s no secret Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) is one of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents in the country. And it’s also no secret that raising money in MT has its limits; it’s not exactly a state filled with wealthy donors. Still, Burns clearly has tapped out MT, just check out his DC fundraising schedule for the month of June…. (Hotline)
Democratic Fight Looms Over House Intel Post
Rep. Jane Harman, a Southern California Democrat known for her centrist politics and for her expertise on foreign policy, recently has generated a flurry of support for her bid to stay on as the top Democrat on the intelligence committee in the face of indications that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi plans to rotate her off the panel. (Forward)
Harris’ Senate run worries many in her party
The woman who oversaw the 2000 presidential vote recount in Florida is running for the GOP Senate nomination â inspiring dread among many in her party. Whether they measure by fundraising, polls, disarray, ethics, strange behavior or potential to polarize, they see trouble. (USA Today)
Jefferson Affidavit Must Be Released, Judge Says
In another legal setback for Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.), a federal judge in Maryland has decided to publicly release documents supporting an FBI search of a Potomac home belonging to Jennifer Douglas, a wife of the vice president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar. (Roll Call)
527 Groups Mostly Breathe Sigh of Relief
Now that the Federal Election Commission last week opted not to take its rules on 527 political groups back to the drawing table, most of these groups are expressing satisfaction with the decision. And, some say, they can move ahead with activities without fear of having the FEC rules change on them as the 2006 election approaches. (Roll Call)
Poverty Marked ‘Dollar Bill’
Rep. William J. Jefferson was once famous in Louisiana circles as the sharecropper’s son who made his way to Harvard, steered by parents who preached the value of education. Today, Jefferson is infamous nationally as the Louisiana Democrat who stashed $90,000 of alleged bribe money in his kitchen freezer. (LAT)
Congressional Office Searches: Use careful procedures
Searches of congressional offices must follow careful procedures to ensure that the balance is properly drawn between protecting separation of powers and meeting the needs of law enforcement. (National Law Journal)
