Darrell Issa's attempts to escape the consequences of his earmark scandal hasn't been too effective so far. In his hometown North County Times, he's gotten pinged over his personal profits from taxpayer dollars in the letters section, and the San Diego Union-Tribune has put the kibash on Issa's desperate claim that it's not a legitimate story.
Oversight business will kick off after the recess tomorrow morning with a hearing on whether Dodd-Frank reforms of the financial sector have effectively ended 'too big to fail.' Stirring up the necessary acrimony and controversy, subcommittee chair Patrick McHenry refused to allow Barney Frank -- namesake of the legislation -- to appear at the hearing. McHenry, incidentally, has received major campaign funding from the banking and insurance industries and been called out for conflicts of interest after investigating banker bonuses after accepting contributions from Countrywide.
Calls for investigation into the ATF "Gunrunner" project has been simmering for a while, and Issa announced this week that it is one of his primary investigations:
Without a doubt, prioritizing is an important aspect of setting the agenda of any committee, certainly including the Oversight Committee. And working to stay focused on the big issues is important to providing needed oversight. So when a recent non-partisan report (pdf) found tens of billions wasted by private contractors in Afghanistan, it made sense that Issa would be on top of it
Following up on Issa's "Worst Week in Washington", the Watchdog Institute follows up with details of the close ties between Issa and lobbyists for the industries he's supposed to be watching. This time, they begin naming names.
CREW is calling for an Congressional Ethics investigation into the circumstances around Issa's dismissal last week of spokesperson Kurt Bardella.
Issa has moved quickly to get past the Bardella firing, bringing on former Daily Caller spox Becca Glover Watkins as his replacement. Interesting to note that Bardella had a particularly cozy relationship with the Daily Caller before his ouster, and it has served as one of the most reliable soft-landing spots for Issa quotes and spin.
The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission has hired outside legal counsel to deal with the process of turning over evidence requested by Darrell Issa. No word on how much that outside counsel will cost, but it will likely be a notable relative to FCIC's approximately $8 million total budget. As Frank Rich notes, that budget is less than one-sixth that of the new 'Spider-Man' musical, and Issa's "only conceivable purpose is to ward off any future attempts to pursue the still unanswered questions about the meltdown."
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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3 comments
posted by Lucas O’Connor at 2:22 pm