Representative Joe "You Lie" Wilson May Have Been The One Who Lied, As His Ethics Probe Advances.
Ethics probe of Rep. Joe 'You lie!' Wilson advances
James Rosen
WASHINGTON — The Democratic chairwoman and the Republican ranking member of the House of Representatives ethics committee have agreed to investigate Rep. Joe Wilson further for possible abuse of taxpayer-funded expense money during his travel abroad.
Emphasizing their bipartisan decision, Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, the ethics panel's chairwoman, and Rep. Jo Bonner of Alabama, its senior Republican, said they "had jointly decided to extend" the probe of Wilson.
House rules give the committee 45 days, until Dec. 30, to announce its findings, but Lofgren and Bonner said in a terse statement Monday night that they'd decide on possible further action by Dec. 20.
Similar stories:
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Rep. Joe Wilson's opponent accuses him of pocketing expenses
Rep. Joe Wilson's opponent accuses him of pocketing expenses
Democrat Rob Miller Thursday accused U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson of pocketing more than $38,000 of expense account money for his personal use.
The $38,000 per diem total is part of about $100,000 in travel expenses Wilson has billed taxpayers for since his election to Congress in 2001, making him the 29th highest spender among 435 U.S. House members.
Wilson, a Lexington Republican, is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. Most of his travel has been to Iraq and Afghanistan visiting U.S. troops. Wilson's travel spending ranks 6th among the 70 members of the Armed Services committee
*
'You lie' Rep. Joe Wilson probed for use of travel expenses
'You lie' Rep. Joe Wilson probed for use of travel expenses
WASHINGTON — Rep. Joe Wilson acknowledged Tuesday that he's under investigation by the House ethics committee for his use of travel funds while on at least one congressional trip to Afghanistan.
Wilson, a South Carolina Republican in a tough re-election fight with Democrat Rob Miller, said the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct — the official name of the ethics panel — is looking into his purchase of six goblets for $12 while in Afghanistan in August 2009.
"As a member of the House Armed Services Committee visiting troops in Afghanistan, Wilson was provided $13 a day for travel expenses," said Pepper Pennington, his congressional spokeswoman.
*
No lie: Ethics probe of Joe Wilson's travel wider than disclosed
No lie: Ethics probe of Joe Wilson's travel wider than disclosed
WASHINGTON — The congressional ethics investigation of Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., is broader than previously disclosed and goes well beyond his use of $12 in per diem expense money to buy six decorative goblets in Afghanistan last year.
Congressional staff members with detailed knowledge of the probe said ethics investigators are examining Wilson's unusually high number of foreign trips — at least 30 in the past eight years — and his use of per diem expense money while traveling abroad.
Wilson, a relatively unknown lawmaker until he shouted "You lie!" as President Barack Obama addressed Congress last year, has a reputation among his peers as a frequent foreign traveler, these staff members said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly on the investigation.
*
Rangel guilty of ethics violations, but expulsion unlikely
Rangel guilty of ethics violations, but expulsion unlikely
A congressional panel Tuesday found Rep. Charles Rangel guilty of violating 11 House ethics rules, but the iconic New York Democrat is likely to escape the most serious punishment for his actions - expulsion from the House.
Instead, it's expected that the once-powerful chairman of the Ways and Means Committee will be reprimanded or censured by his colleagues for ethics transgressions that include his failure to declare rental income from a Dominican villa, improper solicitation of donations on congressional letterhead and misuse of a rent-controlled apartment as a campaign office.
The finding seemed likely after Rangel, 80, walked out on the proceedings Monday, saying he hadn't been given a chance to retain new lawyers. That allowed the ethics panel to presume that he was no longer contesting the facts underlying the allegations against him.
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Commentary: Beyond Rep. Joe Wilson's expense reports
Commentary: Beyond Rep. Joe Wilson's expense reports
It might very well be that U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson has done nothing wrong during his numerous taxpayer-funded trips to war zones, but he has done plenty wrong in his ham-handed attempts to delegitimize an ongoing ethics investigation into the matter. Consider:
• He began by completely misleading the public as to the nature of the probe, claiming that he was being investigated merely for purchasing "six small tokens of his appreciation — under $2 each — for Afghanistan veterans and their families."
After his campaign made hay of that claim, and after congressional sources told McClatchy Newspapers that investigators were examining Mr. Wilson's use of expense money on his unusually high number of foreign trips — at least 30 in the past eight years — he finally admitted that investigators had asked him about other purchases as well, though he claimed not to be able to remember just what.
Wilson, a Lexington, S.C., Republican, denied any wrongdoing.
"There are no new developments in the examination of my purchase of small souvenir cups priced under $2 each for Afghanistan veterans and their families," he said. "Now that the committee has reconvened and the election is over, I expect a swift dismissal over these tokens of appreciation for veterans priced under $2."
Wilson's statement, however, was wrong in two key aspects:
* The decision by Lofgren and Bonner to escalate the investigation of Wilson's foreign expenditures is a significant new development because Bonner, a fellow Republican, could have killed the probe if he thought that the potential evidence against Wilson was weak. House rules dictate that the chairman and the senior member of the minority party must agree in order for an ethics investigation of a member to be extended.
* Wilson initially claimed in September that the probe focused on his $12 purchase of six small ceramic mugs in Afghanistan last year, but he later confirmed that House ethics examiners had questioned him about expenditures he'd made on separate overseas trips.
In an earlier ethics lapse, the House reprimanded Wilson in September 2009 for having violated rules of personal conduct when he yelled, "You lie!" as President Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress.
Since Wilson joined Congress in a December 2001 special election, his official travel abroad on 30 trips has cost taxpayers about $100,000 all told in itemized expenses, including roughly $38,000 in per diem money intended to cover only meals and lodging.
That total puts Wilson at No. 29 in itemized overseas travel costs among the 435 members of the House and at No. 39 among 730 members who've served since 1994, according to data published in the Congressional Record, the official proceedings of the House and Senate, and analyzed by Congressional Quarterly, a private publishing firm.
However, because most of Wilson's trips have been to visit U.S. troops around the world, they've entailed significant costs beyond that $100,000, including large sums in non-itemized, taxpayer-covered transport on U.S. Air Force planes.
Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2010/11/16/1528058/ethics-probe-of-rep-joe-you-lie.html#ixzz15Uc7cnDw
James Rosen
WASHINGTON — The Democratic chairwoman and the Republican ranking member of the House of Representatives ethics committee have agreed to investigate Rep. Joe Wilson further for possible abuse of taxpayer-funded expense money during his travel abroad.
Emphasizing their bipartisan decision, Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, the ethics panel's chairwoman, and Rep. Jo Bonner of Alabama, its senior Republican, said they "had jointly decided to extend" the probe of Wilson.
House rules give the committee 45 days, until Dec. 30, to announce its findings, but Lofgren and Bonner said in a terse statement Monday night that they'd decide on possible further action by Dec. 20.
Similar stories:
*
Rep. Joe Wilson's opponent accuses him of pocketing expenses
Rep. Joe Wilson's opponent accuses him of pocketing expenses
Democrat Rob Miller Thursday accused U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson of pocketing more than $38,000 of expense account money for his personal use.
The $38,000 per diem total is part of about $100,000 in travel expenses Wilson has billed taxpayers for since his election to Congress in 2001, making him the 29th highest spender among 435 U.S. House members.
Wilson, a Lexington Republican, is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. Most of his travel has been to Iraq and Afghanistan visiting U.S. troops. Wilson's travel spending ranks 6th among the 70 members of the Armed Services committee
*
'You lie' Rep. Joe Wilson probed for use of travel expenses
'You lie' Rep. Joe Wilson probed for use of travel expenses
WASHINGTON — Rep. Joe Wilson acknowledged Tuesday that he's under investigation by the House ethics committee for his use of travel funds while on at least one congressional trip to Afghanistan.
Wilson, a South Carolina Republican in a tough re-election fight with Democrat Rob Miller, said the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct — the official name of the ethics panel — is looking into his purchase of six goblets for $12 while in Afghanistan in August 2009.
"As a member of the House Armed Services Committee visiting troops in Afghanistan, Wilson was provided $13 a day for travel expenses," said Pepper Pennington, his congressional spokeswoman.
*
No lie: Ethics probe of Joe Wilson's travel wider than disclosed
No lie: Ethics probe of Joe Wilson's travel wider than disclosed
WASHINGTON — The congressional ethics investigation of Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., is broader than previously disclosed and goes well beyond his use of $12 in per diem expense money to buy six decorative goblets in Afghanistan last year.
Congressional staff members with detailed knowledge of the probe said ethics investigators are examining Wilson's unusually high number of foreign trips — at least 30 in the past eight years — and his use of per diem expense money while traveling abroad.
Wilson, a relatively unknown lawmaker until he shouted "You lie!" as President Barack Obama addressed Congress last year, has a reputation among his peers as a frequent foreign traveler, these staff members said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly on the investigation.
*
Rangel guilty of ethics violations, but expulsion unlikely
Rangel guilty of ethics violations, but expulsion unlikely
A congressional panel Tuesday found Rep. Charles Rangel guilty of violating 11 House ethics rules, but the iconic New York Democrat is likely to escape the most serious punishment for his actions - expulsion from the House.
Instead, it's expected that the once-powerful chairman of the Ways and Means Committee will be reprimanded or censured by his colleagues for ethics transgressions that include his failure to declare rental income from a Dominican villa, improper solicitation of donations on congressional letterhead and misuse of a rent-controlled apartment as a campaign office.
The finding seemed likely after Rangel, 80, walked out on the proceedings Monday, saying he hadn't been given a chance to retain new lawyers. That allowed the ethics panel to presume that he was no longer contesting the facts underlying the allegations against him.
*
Commentary: Beyond Rep. Joe Wilson's expense reports
Commentary: Beyond Rep. Joe Wilson's expense reports
It might very well be that U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson has done nothing wrong during his numerous taxpayer-funded trips to war zones, but he has done plenty wrong in his ham-handed attempts to delegitimize an ongoing ethics investigation into the matter. Consider:
• He began by completely misleading the public as to the nature of the probe, claiming that he was being investigated merely for purchasing "six small tokens of his appreciation — under $2 each — for Afghanistan veterans and their families."
After his campaign made hay of that claim, and after congressional sources told McClatchy Newspapers that investigators were examining Mr. Wilson's use of expense money on his unusually high number of foreign trips — at least 30 in the past eight years — he finally admitted that investigators had asked him about other purchases as well, though he claimed not to be able to remember just what.
Wilson, a Lexington, S.C., Republican, denied any wrongdoing.
"There are no new developments in the examination of my purchase of small souvenir cups priced under $2 each for Afghanistan veterans and their families," he said. "Now that the committee has reconvened and the election is over, I expect a swift dismissal over these tokens of appreciation for veterans priced under $2."
Wilson's statement, however, was wrong in two key aspects:
* The decision by Lofgren and Bonner to escalate the investigation of Wilson's foreign expenditures is a significant new development because Bonner, a fellow Republican, could have killed the probe if he thought that the potential evidence against Wilson was weak. House rules dictate that the chairman and the senior member of the minority party must agree in order for an ethics investigation of a member to be extended.
* Wilson initially claimed in September that the probe focused on his $12 purchase of six small ceramic mugs in Afghanistan last year, but he later confirmed that House ethics examiners had questioned him about expenditures he'd made on separate overseas trips.
In an earlier ethics lapse, the House reprimanded Wilson in September 2009 for having violated rules of personal conduct when he yelled, "You lie!" as President Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress.
Since Wilson joined Congress in a December 2001 special election, his official travel abroad on 30 trips has cost taxpayers about $100,000 all told in itemized expenses, including roughly $38,000 in per diem money intended to cover only meals and lodging.
That total puts Wilson at No. 29 in itemized overseas travel costs among the 435 members of the House and at No. 39 among 730 members who've served since 1994, according to data published in the Congressional Record, the official proceedings of the House and Senate, and analyzed by Congressional Quarterly, a private publishing firm.
However, because most of Wilson's trips have been to visit U.S. troops around the world, they've entailed significant costs beyond that $100,000, including large sums in non-itemized, taxpayer-covered transport on U.S. Air Force planes.
Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2010/11/16/1528058/ethics-probe-of-rep-joe-you-lie.html#ixzz15Uc7cnDw
Labels: Keeping them honest
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 5:56 PM
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