The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“RAISING A QUESTION OF THE PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H8509-H8510 on July 22, 2009.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RAISING A QUESTION OF THE PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE
Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to a question of the privileges of the House and offer the resolution previously noticed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the resolution.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 667
Whereas, The Hill reported that a prominent lobbying firm, founded by Mr. Paul Magliocchetti and the subject of a
``federal investigation into potentially corrupt political contributions,'' has given $3.4 million in political donations to no less than 284 members of Congress.
Whereas, the New York Times noted that Mr. Magliocchetti
``set up shop at the busy intersection between political fund-raising and taxpayer spending, directing tens of millions of dollars in contributions to lawmakers while steering hundreds of millions of dollars in earmarks contracts back to his clients.''
Whereas, a guest columnist recently highlighted in Roll Call that ``. . . what [the firm's] example reveals most clearly is the potentially corrupting link between campaign contributions and earmarks. Even the most ardent earmarkers should want to avoid the appearance of such a pay-to-play system.''
Whereas, multiple press reports have noted questions related to campaign contributions made by or on behalf of the firm: including questions related to ``straw man'' contributions, the reimbursement of employees for political giving, pressure on clients to give, a suspicious pattern of giving, and the timing of donations relative to legislative activity.
Whereas, Roll Call has taken note of the timing of contributions from employees the firm and its clients when it reported that they ``have provided thousands of dollars worth of campaign contributions to key Members in close proximity to legislative activity, such as the deadline for earmark request letters or passage of a spending bill.''
Whereas, the Associated Press highlighted the ``huge amounts of political donations'' from the firm and its clients to select members and noted that ``those political donations have followed a distinct pattern: The giving is especially heavy in March, which is prime time for submitting written earmark requests.''
Whereas, clients of the firm received at least three hundred million dollars worth of earmarks in fiscal year 2009 appropriations legislation, including several that were approved even after news of the FBI raid of the firm's offices and Justice Department investigation into the firm was well known.
Whereas, after a cursory review, the fiscal year 2010 defense appropriations earmark list recently made available includes at least seventy earmarks worth hundreds of millions of dollars for former PMA clients.
Whereas, the Associated Press reported that ``the FBI says the investigation is continuing, highlighting the close ties between special-interest spending provisions known as earmarks and the raising of campaign cash.''
Whereas, the persistent media attention focused on questions about the nature and timing of campaign contributions related to the firm, as well as reports of the Justice Department conducting research on earmarks and campaign contributions, raise concern about the integrity of Congressional proceedings and the dignity of the institution.
Now, therefore, be it: Resolved, That the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct shall immediately establish an investigative subcommittee and begin an investigation into the relationship between the source and timing of past campaign contributions to Members of the House related to the raided firm and earmark requests made by Members of the House on behalf of clients of the raided firm.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The resolution presents a question of privilege.
Motion to Table
Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, I move to table the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to table.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, this 15-
minute vote on the motion to table will be followed by 5-minute votes on adoption of H. Res. 665; and motions to suspend the rules on: H.R. 1675, H.R. 2938, and H. Res. 69.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 224, nays 189, answered ``present'' 14, not voting 6, as follows:
YEAS--224
AbercrombieAckermanAdler (NJ)AltmireAndrewsArcuriBacaBairdBaldwinBarrowBeanBecerraBerkleyBermanBerryBishop (GA)Bishop (NY)BlumenauerBorenBoswellBoucherBoydBrady (PA)Braley (IA)Brown, CorrineCappsCapuanoCardozaCarnahanCarneyCarson (IN)ChuClarkeClayCleaverClyburnCohenConnolly (VA)ConyersCooperCostaCostelloCourtneyCrowleyCuellarCummingsDahlkemperDavis (AL)Davis (CA)Davis (IL)Davis (TN)DeFazioDeGetteDelahuntDeLauroDicksDingellDoggettDoyleDriehausEdwards (MD)Edwards (TX)EllisonEngelEshooEtheridgeFarrFattahFilnerFrank (MA)FudgeGonzalezGordon (TN)GraysonGreen, AlGreen, GeneGriffithGrijalvaGutierrezHall (NY)HalvorsonHareHarmanHastings (FL)HeinrichHigginsHincheyHinojosaHironoHoldenHoltHondaHoyerInsleeIsraelJackson (IL)Jackson-Lee (TX)Johnson (GA)Johnson, E. B.KagenKanjorskiKapturKildeeKilpatrick (MI)KilroyKindKissellKlein (FL)KosmasKratovilKucinichLangevinLarsen (WA)Larson (CT)Lee (CA)LevinLewis (GA)LipinskiLoweyLujanLynchMaffeiMaloneyMarkey (CO)Markey (MA)MarshallMassaMatsuiMcCollumMcDermottMcGovernMcIntyreMcMahonMeeks (NY)MelanconMichaudMiller (NC)Miller, GeorgeMollohanMoore (KS)Moore (WI)Moran (VA)Murphy (CT)Murphy, PatrickMurphy, TimMurthaNadler (NY)NapolitanoNeal (MA)NyeOberstarObeyOlverOrtizPallonePascrellPastor (AZ)PaynePerlmutterPetersPetersonPingree (ME)Polis (CO)PomeroyPrice (NC)RahallRangelReyesRichardsonRodriguezRossRothman (NJ)Roybal-AllardRuppersbergerRushRyan (OH)SalazarSanchez, Linda T.Sanchez, LorettaSarbanesSchakowskySchauerSchiffSchraderSchwartzScott (GA)Scott (VA)SerranoSestakShea-PorterShermanShulerSiresSkeltonSlaughterSnyderSpaceSpeierSprattStarkStupakSuttonTannerTaylorThompson (CA)TierneyTitusTonkoTownsTsongasVan HollenVelazquezWasserman SchultzWatersWatsonWattWaxmanWeinerWexlerWilson (OH)WoolseyWuYarmuthYoung (AK)
NAYS--189
AderholtAkinAlexanderAustriaBachmannBachusBarrett (SC)BartlettBarton (TX)BiggertBilbrayBilirakisBishop (UT)BlackburnBluntBoccieriBoehnerBono MackBoozmanBoustanyBrady (TX)BrightBroun (GA)Brown (SC)Brown-Waite, GinnyBuchananBurgessBurton (IN)BuyerCalvertCampCampbellCantorCaoCapitoCarterCassidyCastleChaffetzChildersCobleCoffman (CO)ColeCrenshawCulbersonDavis (KY)Deal (GA)Diaz-Balart, M.Donnelly (IN)DreierDuncanEhlersEllsworthEmersonFallinFlakeFlemingForbesFortenberryFosterFoxxFranks (AZ)FrelinghuysenGalleglyGarrett (NJ)GerlachGiffordsGingrey (GA)GohmertGoodlatteGrangerGravesGuthrieHall (TX)HellerHensarlingHergerHerseth SandlinHillHimesHodesHoekstraHunterInglisIssaJenkinsJohnson (IL)Johnson, SamJonesJordan (OH)King (IA)King (NY)KingstonKirkKirkpatrick (AZ)Kline (MN)LambornLanceLathamLaTouretteLatta Lee (NY)Lewis (CA)LinderLoBiondoLoebsackLucasLuetkemeyerLummisLungren, Daniel E.MackManzulloMarchantMathesonMcCarthy (CA)McCaulMcClintockMcCotterMcHenryMcHughMcKeonMcMorris RodgersMcNerneyMicaMiller (FL)Miller (MI)Miller, GaryMinnickMitchellMoran (KS)Murphy (NY)NeugebauerNunesOlsonPaulPaulsenPencePerrielloPetriPittsPlattsPoseyPrice (GA)PutnamQuigleyRadanovichRehbergReichertRoe (TN)Rogers (AL)Rogers (KY)Rogers (MI)RohrabacherRooneyRos-LehtinenRoskamRoyceRyan (WI)ScaliseSchmidtSchockSensenbrennerSessionsShadeggShimkusShusterSimpsonSmith (NE)Smith (NJ)Smith (TX)Smith (WA)SouderStearnsSullivanTeagueTerryThornberryTiahrtTiberiTurnerUptonViscloskyWalzWampWestmorelandWhitfieldWilson (SC)WittmanWolf
ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--14
BonnerButterfieldCastor (FL)ChandlerConawayDentDiaz-Balart, L.HarperHastings (WA)Lofgren, ZoeMyrickPoe (TX)WaldenWelch
NOT VOTING--6
KennedyMcCarthy (NY)Meek (FL)Thompson (MS)Thompson (PA)Young (FL)
{time} 1216
Messrs. FORTENBERRY, KING of New York, and BRIGHT changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Mr. LYNCH changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
Ms. CASTOR of Florida and Messrs. BUTTERFIELD and CHANDLER changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``present.''
Mrs. MYRICK and Messrs. HASTINGS of Washington and WALDEN changed their vote from ``nay'' to ``present.''
So the motion to table was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider is laid on the table.
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