CREW Files Complaint Against Rep. Deal
 On August 26th, CREW filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics against Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA), for illegally and unethically intervening in Georgia state politics to preserve a program that funds his personal car inspection business from which he pockets $150,000 per year.
In 2008, Georgia Revenue Commissioner Bart Graham took over responsibility for the state's inspection system and found the operational costs and locations of the inspection stations to be too costly and restrictive for the state. Rep. Deal and his staff, with help from Georgia Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, arranged meetings with Comm. Graham in an effort to persuade him not to reform the system and to leave the $1.7 million that had been allocated for the program in the state's budget. Despite Rep. Deal's efforts, Comm. Graham's plan was passed by the Georgia House, prompting Rep. Deal's chief of staff to use his official House email to contact Georgia officials to ensure the state Senate did not pass the cut in the program. The Senate complied, though lawmakers profess ignorance as to why.
Rep. Deal's use of his congressional influence and resources to enrich his personal business directly violates House rules and may constitute honest services fraud - a federal crime. Members of Congress are to serve the public interest, not their own personal financial interests. The Office of Congressional Ethics should hold Rep. Deal accountable for his shameless conduct.
Learn more
Read CREW's letter to the Office of Congressional Ethics
Read The Atlanta Journal-Constitution article that broke this story
Read The Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about CREW's complaint
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CREW Files Complaint Against Former NJ US Attorney Chris Christie
 On August 17th, CREW asked the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) to investigate whether Chris Christie, Republican candidate for Governor of New Jersey, violated the law by both talking with former White House official Karl Rove about a possible gubernatorial run and attending meetings to plan logistics for the race while still a US Attorney.
In transcripts released by the House Judiciary Committee as part of its investigation into the US Attorney firings scandal, Rove stated that while he was at the White House, he spoke with Christie "not regarding his duties as US Attorney, but regarding his interest in running for Governor." These conversations directly violate the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in the world of partisan politics.
Ironically, Christie is running his campaign on an ethics platform. Did Christie violate ethics rules to use his position as US Attorney to gain political standing to secure his party's nomination for Governor? An OSC investigation would reveal the extent to which Christie advanced his political ambitions while a sitting US Attorney.
Learn more
Read CREW's letter to OSC
Read the Associated Press article
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CREW Urges MSNBC to Pull Misleading and Delusional Health Care Ad
On August 28th, CREW sent a letter to MSNBC President Phil Griffin, urging him to pull a misleading and delusional anti-healthcare reform ad from the air. The US Citizens Association-sponsored ad, which aired at least once on August 27th during MSNBC's Morning Joe, violates both Federal Communications Commission and NBC regulations addressing false and misleading ads.
The ad ludicrously asserts that if the healthcare system is reformed, "20 million illegal aliens" will receive free care and private care will disappear due to the government's ability to tax and print money.
MSNBC informed CREW on August 31st that the ad was not running nationally through its network, but rather through the local cable provider, Comcast. CREW sent a letter today to Comcast asking that the ad be pulled from its airwaves.
Learn more
Read CREW's letter to MSNBC
Watch the ad on the US Citizens Association website
Read The Gainesville Sun article
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Rep. William Jefferson's Conviction Confirms CREW's Allegations
 On August 5th, a federal jury found former Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) guilty on 11 of 16 corruption charges related to soliciting bribes and brokering deals to funnel money to businesses owned by his family. CREW filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Jefferson in April 2006, and he was featured in CREW's Most Corrupt Members of Congress in 2006, 2007, and 2008.
After Rep. Jefferson's Capitol Hill office was searched by federal investigators in May 2006, Rep. Jefferson asked for the search to be held unconstitutional on the basis that an FBI raid on his congressional office had violated the Speech or Debate Clause, a clause of the Constitution that protects lawmakers from being prosecuted for legislative acts. CREW filed a friend-of-the-court brief in April 2007 arguing the Speech or Debate Clause did not prohibit congressional offices from being searched pursuant to valid search warrants, and warned that such an expansive interpretation of the Clause would hamper the government's ability to investigate the criminal conduct of corrupt members of Congress. Although earlier decisions had prevented law enforcement from using legislative materials against a member of Congress to obtain an indictment or conviction, the D.C. Court of Appeals held the Clause also prevents federal investigators from even accidentally viewing such materials. This decision has impeded prosecutions of corrupt members of Congress including former-Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) and former-Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ).
Rep. Jefferson's conviction confirms what CREW has known all along - Rep. Jefferson's conduct abused his office for personal financial gain.
Read CREW's statement on Rep. Jefferson's conviction
Learn more about CREW's friend-of-the-court brief
Read Rep. Jefferson's Most Corrupt profile
Read the Christian Science Monitor article
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