Hide and Seek
I went over to have coffee with Alfredo over at the Dairy Queen this morning and he told me a very weird story.
A local small town West Virginia reporter wanted to find out if Republican Representative Alex Mooney had set up a legal defense fund. Legal defense funds are allowed in a separate account to use for any legal expenses while running for office or if they get sued over their official duties or they get criminally charged with crimes.
Friends of the congress members can donate up to $5,000 to these funds.
Congress people who have created such funds have to file quarterly reports with the House Legislative Resource Center in the basement of the Cannon Office Building. When the reporter called the Legislative Resource Center to confirm the existence of the legal defense fund this is what he was told:
“Legislative Resource Center officials said those who wish to review trust documents filed there must contact their local House member’s office so it can arrange to provide an escort for entrance into the Cannon House Office Building that houses the center. Document copies cost 10 cents a page.
In other words, scrutinizing Mooney’s trust documentation requires a chaperone provided by Mooney’s office – a policy made by the House Office of the Clerk in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The center is a division of the Office of the Clerk, which performs administrative functions for the House.”
If that’s accurate the Legislative Resource Center may be holding a treasure trove of secrets. Unlike every other type of financial document Members of Congress must file with the Clerk of the House, legal expense fund reports are not available electronically. The only way to review them is to go the Legislative Resource Center.
Well, ain’t that just something real special? So, to see my congressman’s records, I’d have to drive to Washington, DeeCee, and ask pretty please for a chaperone to take me to see something that my congressman really doesn’t want me to see. Plus, I’m willing to bet a fresh ten dollar bill that every member of his staff has a real festering case of the cooties.
Since the pandemic began in March 2020 and access to the Capitol was restricted, the Office of Congressional Ethics has referred reports regarding nine members of the House to the House Ethics Committee for investigation. Did one or more of them other than Rep. Mooney also create a legal defense fund? We don’t know. Who is contributing to them? We don’t know.
In addition, dozens of members have been found to have violated the STOCK Act by not disclosing stock purchases or sales. Have any of them created a legal defense fund? We don’t know. Who is contributing to them? We don’t know.
If this restricted access policy by the Clerk of the House has been in effect for all of this time it represents a shocking loss of transparency for the media and the public. It’s especially egregious for local reporters trying to report on Member of Congress to their constituents.
Perhaps that’s the point. That, my friends, I do know.
Look how far we’ve advanced.
1The smoke-filled back rooms of yesteryear have been replaced by smoke free back rooms. Presumably. But how would we know?
Will someone please let me know if Tommy Tubberville, junior senator from Alabama really said that insider trading is one of the best reasons to run for office?!
2Katherine @2, yes indeed, words to that effect were said by Tommy Tuber. lol No mention of service to the country, no ma’am, Tommy openly admits he’s there in Dee Cee to enrich himself. Or, why else run?
https://crooksandliars.com/2022/02/sen-tuberville-insider-trading-one-best
3JJ, one thing is not clear from the quote. Is the required escort just to get access to the building and room where the information is stashed? In other words, can some congress person (say, AOC) have a member of her staff provide the escort service(*), and once there the reporter can copy any congress-critter’s documents?
Because I’m sure we could find some representative willing to let the Washington Post or Mother Jones Magazine into the room with several rolls of dimes. If I was in the DC area, I’d personally be willing to be the truffle hunting pig. And I’d bring my own rolls of dimes, to boot.
(*) Why is it that I get an icky feeling from the words “escort service” in connection with Republican politicians?
4Yep, JJ, that sounds about Right. You know they’re hiding something. I’d love to find out what.
5While the situation stays private ……………..
6FOIA request.
7Also . . . if you want to visit your Congress critter besides making an official appointment, you have to wait at the door to the office building until the office sends down an available “escort” to meet with you and personally take you up to the office. Once upon a somewhat recent time, you could just get waved in by security and you were on your way to wherever. Now, what if they do not have an available staffer to do the escorting? Well, its called try, try again And remember, patience is a virtue. The really big dogs who want a personal gab session with the Congress critter can always meet up with him/her elsewhere, espeically where there aren’t any sign in sheets.
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