Darrell Issa

Birth Control Hearing Not Really About Birth Control, Says GOP

Pema Levy | February 16, 2012, 3:49PM

A House Oversight Committee hearing Thursday morning began with a heated debate and a walkout over witnesses. The question of who could testify was so contentious because it was part of the fundamental political argument at stake over the administration's rule on contraception coverage: whether the issue at stake is access to contraception or religious liberty.

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Birth Control

Dems Accuse GOP Of Denying Fair Hearing On Birth Control Rule

Pema Levy | February 16, 2012, 7:00AM

Calek/ Shutterstock

Democrats are accusing Republicans of denying a witness who holds contrary views an opportunity to testify at a hearing on President Obama's birth control regulation -- a charge the GOP disputes.

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Solyndra

Key GOPer Supported Loan Guarantee Under Issa Attack

Susan Crabtree | October 28, 2011, 6:00AM

Rep. Darrell Issa in recent days has moved on from bashing the Obama administration's support for the failed solar-company Solyndra to training his sights on another federal loan guarantee -- $730 million for the U.S. subsidiary of a Russian steel company.

During an interview on Fox News Thursday, Issa said the loan for Severstal North America, which is based in Dearborn, Mich. "never should have passed the sniff test."

"We'd like to have a reversal on the commitment," Issa said of the $730 million Severstal loan. "...One of the great scandals here is, remember, this is just making steel, and as a matter of fact, the type of steel for which there's an excess in the market. But more importantly, the jobs that are being, quote, created here are being moved from other plants. So this is an example, no jobs created, not green energy, not necessary to make this happen, and not a U.S. investor. So on every possible count, the American people care about, this loan never should have passed the sniff test."

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Darrell Issa

Wartime Contracting Set To Spike Despite Rampant Fraud And Abuse

Susan Crabtree | October 4, 2011, 11:08AM

A soldier helps guard the Rumelia Oil Field in southern Iraq on April 2, 2003.

Despite recent warnings about unchecked fraud and abuse associated with wartime contracting, the number of private contractors and the costs associated with them are set to dramatically increase in the coming transition from the military to the State Department in Iraq and Afghanistan

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, estimated that the State Department is set to increase its manpower in Iraq and Afghanistan from 8,000 to 17,000 -- the great majority of whom will be contractors for security, medical, maintenance, aviation, and other functions.

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Nancy Pelosi

Pelosi Quote Slamming Obama Advisers Is False

Susan Crabtree | October 3, 2011, 3:33PM

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Some tough words from Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) about President Obama and his team's communications strategy were raising eyebrows in Washington Monday morning, but that was before Pelosi disavowed the quote and Newsweek's Daily Beast admitted a mistake and retracted it.

"I think you need to talk about how poorly they [the White House] do on message," Pelosi is quoted as saying in a story by Howard Kurtz. "They can't see around corners; they anticipate nothing."

Pelosi's office quickly denied having ever made the comments, and Newsweek/Daily Beast has since issued a broad correction.

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Super Committee

Lost And Found: Papers Detailing Items On GOP Super Committee Wishlist

Susan Crabtree | September 23, 2011, 12:43PM

Image From Danny E Hooks / Shutterstock

In these times of secretive deficit super committee meetings, back-room pressuring on particular proposals and endless speculation on what the panel will wind up doing, it might be a good idea not to leave internal working deficit-reduction documents lying around the Capitol.

TPM got a hold of what appears to be an internal GOP Super Committee wish list -- a chart of working proposals for finding hundreds of billions of dollars in cost savings. A source recently forwarded the documents after finding them lying on a table outside the Speaker's lobby at the end of August, just when members selected to serve on the joint-deficit panel were being announced.

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Darrell Issa

Issa: NLRB Has Until Friday To Hand Over Docs In Boeing Case

Susan Crabtree | August 8, 2011, 12:04PM

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the GOP's No. 1 Obama administration attack dog, has bitten down hard on the dispute between the National Labor Relations Board and Boeing and doesn't appear to be letting go anytime soon.

Issa issued a subpoena to the NLRB's Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon August 7 as part of its investigation into the merits of the NLRB action against the Boeing Company. The subpoena compels the NLRB to comply with earlier document requests submitted in May with a deadline of noon Aug. 12.

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unions

GOP, Dems Square Off Over NLRB Case Against Boeing

Susan Crabtree | June 17, 2011, 4:17PM

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)

Republicans and Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee repeatedly clashed Friday over the politically charged National Labor Relations Board complaint against Boeing Co. and its decision to locate a nonunion plant in South Carolina.

Even before the field hearing in Charleston, S.C., got underway, Democrats were accusing Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) of trying to intimidate the NLRB by hauling the agency's top lawyer, Lafe Soloman, before the panel.

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Darrell Issa

Issa: Obama Injecting 'Chicago Hardball Politics' With Draft Executive Order

Igor Bobic | May 13, 2011, 11:28AM

Darrell Issa (R-CA)

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) claims a recent draft proposal by President Obama to require federal contractors to disclose donations to third-party political groups is an attempt to politicize the procurement process and one that will intimidate businesses away from federal contracts.

"We're now talking about Chicago hardball politics that will clearly lead to a chilling effect on contributions by those required to participate," said Issa at a committee hearing Thursday. "I think it's very clear, this executive order is outside the procurement process."

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Kurt Bardella

Fired Issa Aide Kurt Bardella Lands At Daily Caller

Benjy Sarlin | April 15, 2011, 12:14PM

It didn't take long for Kurt Bardella, the once fast-rising spokesman for House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa who was fired for sharing reporters' e-mails, to land back on his feet.

Bardella, who left his post with Issa early last month, will become the Daily Caller's new communications director.

"Kurt's talent, energy and experience will be an instrumental part of the Daily Caller's evolution from start-up to news staple," Daily Caller founder Tucker Carlson said in a press release announcing the hire. "As we turn our focus towards covering the 2012 election cycle, Kurt is the first of many new hires we expect to announce in the near future."

In an ironic twist, the move almost represents a direct trade between Issa and the Daily Caller. Issa's new spokeswoman on the Oversight Committee, Becca Glover Watkins, previously worked as a spokeswoman for The Daily Caller, the same role Bardella will now hold himself.

"With the 2012 election cycle already taking shape, there are tremendous opportunities for the Daily Caller to continue to expand their brand and I look forward to working with them to do that," Bardella said in a statement.

Scott Walker

On Capitol Hill, Walker Defends Fight With Unions: "We Are Doing Something Truly Progressive"

Benjy Sarlin | April 14, 2011, 2:00PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Testifying before the House Oversight Committee, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) defended his administration's combative approach to unions amid aggressive questioning from House Democrats and his fellow witness, Vermont Governor Pete Shumlin (D).

"In Wisconsin, we are doing something truly progressive," Walker said in his opening remarks. "In addition to holding the line on spending and finding efficiencies in state government, we are implementing long term budget reforms focused on protecting middle class jobs and middle class taxpayers."

Ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and others repeatedly pressed Walker to explain why he targeted collective bargaining rights when unions had already agreed to budget cuts to help close a deficit.

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Scott Walker

Rep. Cummings, Vermont Governor Shumlin Rip Into Scott Walker At Hearing

Benjy Sarlin | April 14, 2011, 10:28AM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD)

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI), on Capitol Hill for a hearing held by the House Oversight Committee on state budgets, had yet to even speak before Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) ripped into the Republican leader's anti-union record.

"I strongly oppose efforts to falsely blame middle-class American workers for these current economic problems," Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said in his opening statement. "This recession was not caused by them. Working America - fire fighters, teachers and nurses - are not responsible for the reckless actions of Wall Street, which led to this crisis in the first place."

Cummings said he also "strongly object[s] to efforts by politicians who try to use the current economic downturn to strip American workers of their rights - the right to negotiate working conditions that are safe, the right to negotiate due process protections against being fired arbitrarily, and the right to negotiate fair pay for an honest day's work."

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Darrell Issa

Oversight Committee Vet: Issa Could Be Headed For Trouble

Benjy Sarlin | March 21, 2011, 9:58AM

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and David Bossie

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) has been off to a shaky start since taking over as chairman of the House Oversight Committee this year, firing his prominent spokesman Kurt Bardella this month after he was revealed to have shared reporters' emails with a New York Times reporter working on a book.

In his first interview since losing his job, Bardella told the North County Times over the weekend that he had made mistakes. "I did lose my way a little bit," Bardella said. "Certainly, in this case, what I did left people in the reporting community uncomfortable."

David Bossie has plenty of sympathy for Bardella after having held a similar position as an aide to then-chairman Dan Burton (R-IN) during the committee's years-long investigations into President Clinton back in the '90s. Known for his friendliness with the press, Bossie says he had the same role as Bardella in all but title in addition to his duties as an investigator. Like Bardella, Bossie left his position in scandal, resigning after tapes of interviews conducted as part of Burton's Whitewater investigation were found to have been selectively edited to incriminate the Clintons.

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Vincent Gray

DC Mayor Rejects Concept Of Issa Probe, But Pledges To Cooperate

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 18, 2011, 4:29PM

D.C. Mayor Vince Gray (D) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chair Darrell Issa (R-CA) has pledged to dig deep into the scandal-plagued Washington D.C. government. The already embattled new mayor of the city, Vincent Gray, says he doubts much will come of Issa's sniffing around. Still, if Issa wants to spend his time on D.C., Gray says, the mayor's office will help him.

Yesterday, Issa announced his plan to add another investigative body to the several already looking into charges that Gray promised a job to and paid off a fringe candidate in last year's Democratic mayoral primary. The candidate, Sulaimon Brown, received less than 300 votes in the election that saw Gray oust incumbent Adrian Fenty by a wide margin. But Brown was known for his early and unending barrage of attacks on Fenty in candidate forums, which Brown later said drew him attention from the Gray camp. Brown says team Gray paid him to stay in the race, and then rewarded him with a six-figure job in the District government once Gray won. Gray denies all of it, and says all he did was help Brown get a job interview.

The tale has fomented frustration with Gray in the city and has led to formal investigations by the city campaign finance office, U.S. Attorney and the FBI. Gray has promised to cooperate with all of them, just as he has with Issa's. But the mayor also seems to be using the occasion of the Issa probe to turn attention away from his scandals and back toward a conversation D.C. loves to have: how much Congressional oversight is too much?

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Vincent Gray

Issa Launches Probe of D.C. Mayor's Spending

Susan Crabtree | March 17, 2011, 5:40PM

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray

Mayor Vincent Gray and Council Chairman Kwame Brown spilled blood in the water when they started spending taxpayers' money on apparently nepotistic hiring, extravagant travel and luxury SUVs.

Incoming House Republicans are dead set on cutting spending anywhere they can, including vulnerable D.C. city services, and now Gray and company will have a tougher time defending them while fending off investigators from Rep. Darrell Issa's (R-CA) Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

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Howard Kurtz

Issa Slaps Down Kurtz Claim That Ex-Aide 'Impersonated' Him

Eric Lach | March 11, 2011, 8:39AM

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Howie Kurtz

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) tells TPM that he has no reason to believe his former spokesperson, Kurt Bardella, deliberately tried to impersonate him in a conversation with The Daily Beast's Howard Kurtz last year, despite what Kurtz has said.

Last weekend, on his CNN show "Reliable Sources," Kurtz interviewed Politico editor-in-chief John Harris about the bizarre email scandal that cost Bardella his job as spokesperson for Issa. During the segment, Kurtz made mention of his own Bardella incident.

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Henry Waxman

Waxman On Issa: 'He's Not Gotten Off To A Good Start'

Brian Beutler | March 1, 2011, 5:20PM

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA)

You know whose first days as chairman of the House Oversight Committee didn't involve having to fire a high-profile staffer? Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), who ran the committee from 2007 through 2009.

I caught up with Waxman in the Speaker's Lobby during a House vote on short-term spending Tuesday afternoon and asked him to weigh in on his heir Darrell Issa, who's had tougher luck.

"He's not gotten off to a good start," Waxman said, "and he's got to figure out how to make corrections in his own operation."

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Elijah Cummings

Cummings Backs Obama With Mortgage Fraud Investigation

Susan Crabtree | February 25, 2011, 4:59PM

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, is backing President Obama's hard line on mortgage abuses with his own wide-ranging investigation into foreclosure fraud.

Obama has been trying to broker a deal that would have the nation's largest mortgage lenders agree to cough up as much as $30 billion in fines to settle state and federal claims they abused borrowers and illegally foreclosed on homes, according to media reports citing state and federal officials engaged in the discussions.

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Darrell Issa

Issa Defends Subpoenas, Provides Timeline of Negotiations with DHS

Susan Crabtree | February 24, 2011, 5:39PM

Darrell Issa (R-CA)

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) is jabbing back at criticism from Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the ranking Democrat on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, that the first three subpoenas Issa sent out this Congress were "rushed" and "unilateral" and show a scatter-shot approach to investigating aimed at making headlines rather than improving government.

Cummings sent Issa a letter Wednesday accusing him of misusing the committee and failing to adequately consult Democrats before sending out three subpoenas in the last week, one to Bank of America looking for documents related to Countrywide's infamous VIP mortgage program, and two to Department of Homeland Security officials seeking depositions for the committee's investigation into whether DHS politicized FOIA requests.

Issa spokesman Kurt Bardella sent a lengthy response to Cummings' complaints and a detailed timeline, beginning with this quote: "Another day, another complaint and more righteous indignation. What else is new?"

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Elijah Cummings

Cummings Hits Issa For 'Rushed, Unilateral' Subpoenas

Susan Crabtree | February 24, 2011, 2:39PM

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD)

When Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) took over as chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee early last month, Democrats braced for an onslaught of investigations of the Obama administration and rash of subpoenas.

So far, the subpoenas have been very few in number -- just three to date and all sent last week. But Democrats already aren't liking what they're seeing and don't want to let them go without a fight.

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Darrell Issa

Welch to Issa: Step Away -- Or At Least Step Back -- From FOIA Demands

Susan Crabtree | February 8, 2011, 11:25AM

Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT)

Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) is pushing back against Rep. Darrell Issa's (R-CA) investigation into whether the Obama administration is politicizing Freedom of Information Act requests.

It's not that Welch opposes the general thrust of Issa's probe. He's just worried about what could turn out to be some pretty serious unintended consequences -- squelching interest in filing FOIA requests by revealing the identities of the private citizens making them.

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CA-SEN

Poll: Feinstein Crushes GOPers In 2012 CA Senate Race

Jon Terbush | February 3, 2011, 8:39AM

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

Last year, Republican Carly Fiorina put a scare into the Democratic Party by making her race against incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) seem close, if only for a few months. Yet Republicans may have less cause for excitement when they challenge Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) in 2012, as a new PPP poll shows Feinstein dominating a slate of prominent GOP challengers by anywhere from 14 to 34 points.

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Oversight Committee

Cummings Presses Conservative Interest Groups For Correspondence With Issa

Brian Beutler | February 1, 2011, 8:24AM

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD)

House Oversight Committee chairman Darrell Issa has surveyed scores of industry and conservative players to figure out how to target investigations of President Obama's regulatory regime. But only a fraction of the responses he's received have been made public, and he won't share the rest with ranking member Elijah Cummings.

So Cummings is going straight to the sources.

In letters sent Monday to the same powerbrokers Issa solicited, Cummings asks for copies of their responses.

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Oversight Committee

Heritage Asks Issa To Reverse Decades Of Worker, Consumer, Environmental Laws

Brian Beutler | January 31, 2011, 2:30PM

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)

CREW got a hold of a bunch of letters to House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa from trade association, industry, and think tank leaders, which identify aspects of the federal regulatory regime that they believe Issa should investigate to make life and profits easier for businesses.

The one that most neatly reflects the priorities of the conservative movement comes from the Heritage Foundation, which is asking Issa to attack decades worth of regulatory and statutory worker and consumer protections.

Here's the laundry list:

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Darrell Issa

Major Trade Association Asks Issa To Curb Toxin, Safety, Financial Reform Regs

Brian Beutler | January 12, 2011, 10:18AM

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)

Late last year, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the incoming chairman of the House Oversight Committee sent a letter to the country's major trade associations and private corporations asking them which regulations they want to see weakened or eliminated.

In response, the GOP-friendly National Association of Manufacturers has asked him to probe forthcoming regulations aimed at enhancing worker health, improving toxin standards, mitigating climate pollution and preventing another crisis on Wall Street.

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Oversight Committee

Towns Will Back Maloney Over Cummings In Oversight Committee Fight

Brian Beutler | December 15, 2010, 1:30AM

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)

After unexpectedly dropping out of contention to be the Ranking Member on the House Oversight Committee next year, Rep. Ed Towns (D-NY) has thrown his support to fellow New Yorker, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) -- the next-most senior Democrat on the committee -- who will fight it out for the panel's top spot with Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD).

"I support Carolyn Maloney to become Ranking Member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee," Towns says in a statement sent my way. "She is next in line on the Committee, she has the seniority and competence to serve the Caucus well."

Initial reports this evening suggested that Towns also supported Cummings. But both Cummings and Maloney say that's not the case.

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Elijah Cummings

Switcharoo: Towns Out Of Oversight Spot, Kucinich Backs Cummings

Ryan J. Reilly | December 14, 2010, 7:14PM

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD)

Rep. Ed Towns (D-NY) made the surprise announcement on Tuesday night that he'll be stepping down as ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, setting up a fight between Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Elijah Cummings (D-MD) for the right to square off with incoming Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA).

"After much thought, Chairman Towns today made the decision not to seek the Ranking Member position on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee," a spokesman said in a statement.

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Republicans

Meet The Chairmen! House GOPers Get Back To The Gavels

Eric Kleefeld | December 10, 2010, 8:40AM

The Republicans' midterm sweep in the House of Representatives doesn't just mean that John Boehner will become Speaker -- it means a drastic shift of leadership and legislative priorities throughout the whole chamber.

This week, House Republicans officially rolled out the list of committee chairs in the new Congress. And as can be expected, some of them are really interesting personalities. It is these individuals who will be holding hearings on legislation and oversight of the executive branch -- that is, attacking the Obama administration and trying to dig up scandals, as typically occurs during periods of divided government.

So let's take a look at several of the key GOPers who will be heading up these important House panels: Their backgrounds, their positions, their histories -- and a few gaffes, too.

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Oversight Committee

New York Congressmen Back Towns To Take On Issa

Brian Beutler | November 18, 2010, 2:22PM

Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY)

New York House Democrats, including members who lost their seats on November 2, want fellow New Yorker Edolphus Towns to keep the top spot on the Oversight Committee next year.

"As members of the New York delegation, we are supporting our colleague Rep. Edolphus Towns, current Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to become the committee's Ranking Member," the 25 Dems wrote in a letter to colleagues.

More on the brewing battle between towns and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) for the ranking member position here.

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Darrell Issa

Inside The High Stakes Fight To Take On Darrell Issa

Brian Beutler | November 17, 2010, 2:04PM

Reps. Ed Towns (D-NY) and Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)

The race is officially on to determine who will take on Darrell Issa next year as top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. But this contest is in a lot of ways more complicated than the other post-election power struggles we've seen in the last couple weeks. And unlike, say, the House Democratic Whip struggle, which centered on an inside-baseball leadership position, the stakes here are very public and very high.

The two principle combatants are the current Oversight Committee chair, Edolphus Towns, and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) -- one of the committee's senior members.

According to Democratic aides who agreed to speak off the record to discuss the contest candidly, there's no easy answer here.

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Darrell Issa

Kucinich Confirms Oversight Run, Says Issa Is 'Reckless'

Ryan J. Reilly | November 17, 2010, 10:37AM

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) sent his colleagues a letter on Wednesday confirming that he is seeking the post of ranking member of the House Committee for Oversight and Government Reform.

Also in the running for the ranking member position is current House Oversight Committee Chairman Ed Towns (D-NY). Towns has faced criticism from fellow Democrats who don't think he would be a strong enough counterweight to Issa. The White House, however, has said they expect their relationship with Towns to continue. The Congressional Black Caucus would likely resist efforts to oust Towns, who is a member of the caucus.

Kucinich criticized Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the chairman-in-waiting of the Oversight Committee, for making what he called unsubstantiated claims about the Obama administration.

"Mr. Issa, through his eagerness to make unsubstantiated charges and to draw conclusions in advance of evidence, reveals a lack of restraint and basic fairness," Kucinich wrote. "This conduct in the Chairman of the Committee will degrade Congress' oversight credibility and undermine the institution of the House through a lack of restraint in the use of subpoena power."

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House of Representatives

Colbert 'Giddy As A Schoolboy' Over GOP's Planned Investigations Into Obama Admin (VIDEO)

David Taintor | November 10, 2010, 10:43AM

Stephen Colbert

Stephen Colbert last night focused on expected chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Rep. Darrell Issa's (R-CA) plans to hold seven investigations a week for a 40-week period.

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Sunday Shows

The Sunday Show Line-Ups

Eric Kleefeld | November 5, 2010, 6:17PM

Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Here are the line-ups for the Sunday talk shows this weekend:

• ABC, This Week: Sen.-elect Rand Paul (R-KY), Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), former Reagan administration Budget Director David Stockman.

• CBS, Face The Nation: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC).

• CNN, State Of The Union: Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX), Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sen.-elect Pat Toomey (R-PA).

• Fox News Sunday: House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).

• NBC, Meet The Press: Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ).

Rush Limbaugh

Limbaugh Is Now Too Oily For Republicans To Touch

Brian Beutler | June 23, 2010, 10:37AM

Rush Limbaugh

If more politicians were as forthright as Rep. Steven King (R-IA), Rush Limbaugh might have more friends in Congress these days. In fact, Republicans are so on-message with the idea that Joe Barton was wrong, and speaking for himself, when he apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward that they're even willing to throw the conservative talk show host and noted GOP opinion-mover under the bus.

King says that's mostly for show. Republicans, he suspects, are publicly distancing themselves from Tony Haward apologist Joe Barton while privately acknowledging that he was right to accuse the White House of shaking down BP.

"I think there will be a few that, like me, will agree with JB's words, and his description, and there will be a lot of others that privately agree with what he said," King told TPMDC yesterday.

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Military service

From The Archives: Issa Snared In '98 In His Own Military Exaggeration

Christina Bellantoni | June 2, 2010, 4:09PM

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)

As several politicians have been snared thanks to fibbing about their military records, TPM took a trip down memory lane exploring others who exaggerated service. It turns out that 12 years ago when Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) was running for Senate, the San Francisco Examiner uncovered that his Army record was in doubt.

The Examiner published in May 1998 a devastating article detailing the conflicts between Issa's public statements and public records. A focus in the story was Issa's claim he protected then-President Richard Nixon as part of an "elite Army bomb unit" at the World Series in 1971. But it turns out Nixon didn't even attend the games.

The Examiner scoured military records and concluded that Issa's service on the squad "was marred by a bad conduct rating, a demotion and allegations that he had stolen a fellow soldier's car." It cited his 1998 campaign biography saying he served in the Army nine years, even though records showed he served just over five years. He was enlisted from 1970-1972 and was in a college Army ROTC program from 1972 through 1976, the Examiner reported. It also noted that an Issa press release said he was "detailed to the Army security team" which traveled with Nixon, and quoted from a 1990 San Diego Union story that said Issa "was on a bomb disposal unit for President Nixon and got to see the 1971 World Series because Nixon wanted to go and the stadiums had to be secured."

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