‘There is little if any ability to do any oversight now’

October 20, 2006

Here’s a House GOP classic. In May, we learned that Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif), chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, was under investigation from federal prosecutors for possible corruption. It’s alleged Lewis used his power, to earmark “hundreds of millions of dollars in federal contracts” for clients of his longtime friend, Bill Lowery, a lobbyist tied to defense contractor Brent Wilkes, best known for bribing Duke Cunningham. It’s serious enough for Lewis to have spent nearly $800,000 in legal fees to defend himself against the probe.

Yesterday, Justin Rood noted a Congressional Quarterly report in which we learn that Lewis has “fired 60 investigators who had worked for his committee rooting out fraud, waste and abuse, effective immediately.”

Lewis’ decision “has in fact stalled all of the investigations on the staff,” said one of the contractors, a former FBI agent, who asked not to be identified. “This eviscerates the investigatory function. There is little if any ability to do any oversight now.” […]

“In effect, no investigative function is going to be done,” said the contractor, who called the decision “misguided.”

“This staff has saved billions and billions of dollars, we’ve turned up malfeasance and misfeasance,” the contractor said. “Its results justify the expense of the staff. I have no idea why the chairman would do this.”

No idea? None at all?

Now, to be fair, I should not that of the five-dozen investigators Lewis fired this week, not all of them were directly involved with investigating him. Some of them were hired to root out fraud in a $62 billion federal relief package for Hurricane Katrina rebuilding.

Nevertheless, the circumstances look more than a little suspicious. Indeed, in light of the Cunningham/MZM scandal and other incidents, the entire House Appropriations Committee drew the interest of the FBI, which suspected widespread corruption under Lewis’ “leadership.”

And what does Lewis decide to do? Eliminate most of his investigative staff, bringing the total number of investigators from 76 to 16.

Committee spokesman John Scofield told USA Today, “There is nothing sinister here. It’s about how we do the best oversight.”

I’m curious, how will the already-suspect House Appropriations Committee do “the best oversight” with fewer people whose job it is to conduct oversight?

This illustrates why it isn’t just the corruption. It’s the culture of corruption. In earlier times Lewis’s actions would cause an uproar in both parties. Now it’s just the way Republicans do things. It’s their cultural (corruption) values at work.

  • It’s the same thing they have been doing across the government- think back a couple of months to where they were busy cutting down on the number of IRS lawyers, to cut down on enforcement of the laws.

    It’s a passive way to negate the effect of laws- minimize the inspectors, and let the politicians, business-owners, and other criminals run rampant.

    I’d say it’s disgusting, but, hey, if the American people keep on voting for this, then they deserve what they get.

  • And it also illustrates why, in Krugman’s words, Nov 7th is a “one-letter election”. Take your ballot, start at the top, Vote “D” all the way to the bottom. Watch oversight magically appear.

  • Once again, it isn’t the corruption so much, although that is bad, but the actions to cover-up the corruption. Party of values!

  • think back a couple of months to where they were busy cutting down on the number of IRS lawyers, to cut down on enforcement of the laws.

    Actually, they cut down on the number of IRS lawyers investigating the upper tier financially. They increased the number of them investigating the remaining 99% of us.

    If the Dems don’t win in November, The Mrs. and I are moving to … well, anywhere else.

  • Committee spokesman John Scofield told USA Today, “There is nothing sinister here. It’s about how we do the best oversight.”

    That’s an amazing comment.

    Is there no end to this stupidity? And at this time?

    They must be convinced that Diebold will win the election.

  • “In effect, no investigative function is going to be done,” said the contractor, who called the decision “misguided.”

    Misguided? Hopefully all of the laser directed munitions in our armory work this well. Target located. Target locked in. Target neutralized.

    I don’t see no stinkin’ misguided.

  • Hey, Dale –
    Great point, but in the past the MSM would have a field day with this, too.
    But now, it too has been corrupted by the Repub owners, publishers & editors (think Washington Times).
    Of course here we are on Friday, favorite news day of the Repubs. Slight mention over the weekend, and then the news turns to Dancing with the Stars & American Idol.
    This election is just the start of reclaiming our country, and we need to push the MSM back to serving the American people, not the interests of the few.

  • What bothers me more than the acts of an individual is the corruption of rules and systems. Why was Lewis still serving in a capacity from which he could fire investigators when some of their investigations concerned him? This is basic conflict of interest stuff, like Harris in 00, Blackwell in 04 and 06, etc.

    If anyone is interested, Rolling Stone has an outstanding article, titled, “Time to Go! Inside the Worst Congress Ever.”
    These past six years were more than just the most shameful, corrupt and incompetent period in the history of the American legislative branch. These were the years when the US parliament became a historical punch line, a political obscenity on par with the court of Nero or Caligula – a stable of thieves and perverts who committed crimes rolling out of bed in the morning and did their very best to turn the mighty American empire into a debt-laden, despotic backwater, a Burkina Faso with cable.

    http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/12055360/cover_story_time_to_go_inside_the_worst_congress_ever

  • This is completely brazen and unbelievable.

    As of now, a Google News search shows that Think Progress and TPM Muckraker have picked up on the CQ story.

    I’ll be very interested to see if the bigger news outlets pick up on this. And shame on them if they don’t.

  • I take this as another sign that the GOP expects to lose control of the House in November.

    Lewis probably felt confident that, as long as he was chairman, the investigators wouldn’t turn up (or be allowed to pursue) anything too embarrassing to him, the Prez, etc.

    But now that it looks like there will be Democratic chairman in January, he’s scared sh–less.

    Sure, the new chairman could hire the investigators back – but when he/she did, the GOP could spin the decision with ease: “See? We told you the Democrats would be obsessed with investigative witch-hunts. Now they’re wasting taxpayer’s money on blah blah blah …”

  • “…with fewer people….” From 76 to 16 is “fewer”? Coming from anyone but a Republican the phrase would be DRAMTATICALLY fewer or DRASTICALLY fewer.

    Castor Troy (#2), Your last sentence reminded me of H.L. Mencken (1880-1956): “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.” Let’s hope Mencken fails in this election cycle.

  • Amazing chuztpah. Weren’t the same Republicans screaming for investigations and hearings and oversight and special prosecutors every time one of the Clinton’s sneezed? Forty million to investigate oval office fellatio? Millions more to investigate Cisneros? Filegate? Travelgate? But when the shoe is on the other foot, simply fire the investigators.

  • Speaking of brazen:

    The unidentified staff member, a Democrat, was suspended this week by Chairman Peter Hoekstra and is being denied access to classified information pending the outcome of a review.
    […]
    In a letter to Hoekstra dated Sept. 29, Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., a committee member, said the Democratic staffer requested the document from National Intelligence Director John Negroponte three days before a Sept. 23 story by the Times on its conclusions.

    “I have no credible information to say any classified information was leaked from the committee’s minority staff, but the implications of such would be dramatic,” LaHood said in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. “This may, in fact, be only coincidence, and simply ‘look bad.’ But coincidence, in this town, is rare.”

    Why do I get the feeling that somewhere Bush is sitting in church, a la The Godfather, while all this is going on.

    Link.

  • The current Republican leadership, both at the WH and in Congress have been actively destroying democracy inorder to save it for their own perverse purposes.

    Vote the Rascals Out in ’06 and ’08! -Kevo

  • OK that makes two men named Jerry Lewis who are both huge clowns and yet not the least bit amusing. This reeks of some clap-addled despot taking a machine gun to his own police force when they get to uppity about enforcing the laws. “I didn’t mean me you numbskulls!”

    I get the feeling a lot of Rethuglicans keep their passports and a handful of credit cards in their pockets at all times. They have jets waiting on the runway, ready for take off at any moment of the day or night. Next stop: Anywhere that doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the US!

    How the hell else are they going escape the flaming shit pit into which they’ve so merrily leapt?

    Oh wait, I’m forgetting DieVote. Never mind.

  • Ironic, isn’t it that Lewis sacks the investigators on October 20th, the 33rd annivesary of the Watergate Saturday Night Massacre when Nixon ordered his Attorney General to fire Special Investigator Archibald Cox. I recall that the AG and the Assistant AG Ruckleshaus refused to fire him. So the third in line, Robert Bork, dishonered himself and his oath of office and fired Cox.

    Ironic, isn’t it.

  • Hey, Dale –
    Great point, but in the past the MSM would have a field day with this, too.
    But now, it too has been corrupted by the Repub owners, publishers & editors (think Washington Times).
    Comment by BuzzMon

    Good point! It seems that the media once would blast out headlines and crawlers expressing our outrage. Now they use euphemisms and “balance”. It seems the outrage is stuffed back down the citizenry’s throats. (The Silenced Majority?) Damn good thing blogs came along or we’d be up Bush creek.

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