Following Darrell Issa's bipartisan letter challenging practices at the GAO, rumblings this week that Issa's office may just be teeing up for a much bigger investigation- the Defense Department's Don't Ask Don't Tell report. Issa's office has apparently confirmed that Issa will have hearings on whether the report's conclusions were pre-determined via suppressed or withheld negative feedback.
Issa's letter though focuses on uncovering failings in the system. While clearly it would have been ideal for the report to have been correct in the first place- a reasonable and attainable standard- this issue demonstrates the importance and efficacy of an internal department watchdog and specifically highlights how it can be useful. Hopefully, Issa will take lessons from that instead of simply seeking to caricature federal agencies.
In other words, Democrats did it, so Issa is opposed to it. Nevermind whether the bill actually performs exactly the functions that Issa spends every day lobbying for- party trumps governance yet again.
More housekeeping: Darrell Issa began rolling out subcommittee chairmanships last week, further clarifying what the Oversight Committee will look like for the next two years. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (UT-03) will take on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations. Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-04) will handle Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending. And Rep. Patrick McHenry (NC-10) will take the reigns on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs.
Continuing his efforts to spike Congressional efforts to keep working, Darrell Issa flip-flopped dramatically last week on whistleblower legislation. After spending most of his congressional career calling for more transparency in government, Issa balked on new protections for whistleblowers that he had previously supported, using Wikileaks as cover for obstructing the outgoing Democratic majority:
The brief battle for Ranking Member on the House Oversight Committee was resolved Friday, when Rep. Elijah Cummings (MD-07) won the caucus vote for the spot.
Well, not exactly. Instead of conceding to the incoming majority during the 2006 lame duck session, Issa was there in December to support a new trade agreement with Vietnam. You bet he was there to pass a large tax cuts package (any of this sounding familiar yet?). And he was definitely there to support the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2006 a month after the election. In other words- when Democrats won the House four years ago, business didn't stop, pushing the hard edge of conservatism didn't stop, and Issa certainly didn't stop doing business. But now that it's Democrats who are showing up to finish the jobs for which they were hired, he's outraged at other people behaving the same way he has in the past.
While it may be true that “Maloney as Ranking Member very much forces us to look at how we’re structuring our side of things on a functional level. Cummings, frankly, does not,” it's also in the interest of an anonymous GOP staffer to manage expectations and play up 'fears' over the actual GOP preference. It provides Maloney with more ammunition in her campaign for the spot, and that anonymous staffer wouldn't be weighing in without knowing that.
But back when it was the Bush administration that lost millions of emails and couldn't comply with the basics of the Presidential Records Act, it was Darrell Issa who stepped up in the Oversight Committee to defend the White House's failure
Issa Watch on Hiatus Indefinitely
The Appearance of Impropriety in Darrell Issa’s Office
Issa responds to ethics problems with conspiracy theories
Issa’s requested DoE loan would have benefited major GOP donor
Issa sought funds via “easy way to end up with corruption in government”
Out of excuses, Issa contradicts himself in avoiding NewsCorp
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posted by Lucas O’Connor at 11:47 am