Stockman was never convicted for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing-- and, the Texas Republican Party being what it is these days, he even wound up back in Congress. But the former drug addict has had a number of ethics problems in the House and is now facing criminal prosecution, along with several of his staffers. Grand jury subpoenas have already been served but Stockman, who won't be going back to Congress next year, may just flee to Texas and ignore the subpoena. Stockman told Boehner that he's "consulting with counsel to determine whether and to what extent compliance with the subpoena is consistent with the privileges and rights of the House." Three of Stockman's staffers are cooperating with law enforcement and appear to be giving evidence against him.
In a scathing report made public in June, the Office of Congressional Ethics said Stockman may have violated federal law and House rules when he accepted campaign donations from two of his congressional staffers, lied to investigators and attempted to impede their work. Stockman’s campaign falsely identified the donors as family members of the employees in subsequent campaign finance reports, the OCE found. The congressman later told OCE that the staffers resigned before making the contributions and were then re-hired, according to the report.
Steve Israel hasn't been charged with any crimes yet. He's just threatening to quit Congress if he's isn't given a leadership position-- even after his catastrophic and demonstrably incompetent and corrupt two terms as a failed DCCC Chair. No one can accuse DWT of being Monday morning quarterbacks in regard to Israel. We've been consistently and very regularly exposing his incompetence and corruption for years. The New York Daily News reported Monday that feelings among his Democratic colleagues were mixed after he "made public statements immediately after the elections in which he said that while he was done serving as the DCCC chair, he wanted a place at the leadership table and would otherwise consider giving up his House seat." The News opined that "It takes some chutzpah to seek a new leadership job fresh off heading House Democrats' electoral committee in two cycles that left them with the fewest seats they've had since the 1940s."His district has a neutral PVI and could be very easily won by a well-financed Republican. He made a deal with the GOP not to target him-- the only PVI neutral district in the country that went untargeted in 2012 ands 2014-- but with former Congressman Rick Lazio getting ready to run in 2016, Israel-- who has never had a serious contest in his life and (obviously) doesn't know the first thing how to win elections-- may feel without leadership clout to raise cash and appearances, he will be too vulnerable to win. The News report doesn't mention Lazio, who left Congress to run for the Senate (against Hillary) in 2000 when Rudy Giuliani had to step out of the race to deal with prostate cancer. Lazio was crushed by Clinton because of his shady connections to Wall Street. She beat him 3,747,310 (55.27%) to 2,915,730 (43.01%).
Before their election-day mauling was even over, Israel's Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was defending his tenure with a hard-to-sell argument: It could have been worse.Noting an average loss of 29 House seats by the President's party in his sixth year, the DCCC pointed out it had raised funds that helped temper a GOP surge and limited lost seats to about 15.But Israel (D-L.I.) irked some colleagues with public statements immediately after the election in which he said that while he was done serving as DCCC chair, he wants a place at the leadership table and would otherwise consider giving up his House seat."You'd think there would be an effort to show a little more humility," said one House Democratic source.While the DCCC chair is an often thankless job that entails constant travel and fundraising, losing should have consequences, the Democrat said."Just because you willingly took this job doesn't mean you should get a reward at the end of the process," the source said."I don't know how you promote up someone who failed so badly," said another source, a Democratic consultant with DCCC ties. "The Democratic Party shouldn't have social promotion."Israel declined to comment, but his office produced testimonials from a series of fellow Democrats, including defeated members.In a statement, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi lauded Israel's "astuteness," "management of mobilization efforts," and "messaging.""Through what was a very tough night, Steve proved to be House Democrats' MVP," Pelosi said.
She's very loyal to her friends-- or so out of touch with reality that it should be frightening to House Democrats who are about to reelect her party leader. We've spoken to numerous defeated Democrats who all attribute their losses-- at least in part-- to Israel's abysmal job at the DCCC. One is about to publish a scathing OpEd in a major newspaper.
Israel's most likely leadership post is the chair of the Democratic Steering Committee, which oversees committee assignments. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) is leaving that post.Through a spokesman, Pelosi, who picks panel members, declined to comment on whether she'll choose Israel.Anger at Israel was particularly sharp among some New York Democrats in the wake of a smarting result in the congressman's own state, where Democrats lost three seats.Democrats even failed to oust an indicted member, Rep. Michael Grimm (R-Staten Island), despite spending millions on attack ads.Critics also faulted the DCCC for failing to anticipate a close race that nearly ousted Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-Rochester).Many cited dismal recruiting of candidates in New York.Grimm opponent Domenic Recchia, touted by the DCCC, proved a poor candidate.Sean Eldridge, 28, the husband of a Facebook founder Chris Hughes-- who ran against Rep. Chris Gibson in a Hudson Valley district that President Obama carried in 2012-- was quickly defined by Republicans as a youthful carpetbagger.Aaron Woolf, a filmmaker who runs a locavore grocery store in Williamsburg, never seriously competed with 30-year old Republican Elise Stefanik in a North Country district."Having a DCCC Chair from New York is supposed to mean you find someone better there than the artisanal pickle-selling hipster from Brooklyn," the Democratic consultant said.
Eldridge ran in a D+1 district and was roundly rejected by voters there after spending $4,659,027, $2,840,000 from his own personal fortune. Recchia confounded everyone with his lackluster performance-- except people who know anything about him. And the artisanal pickle-selling hipster from Brooklyn... even Israel gave up on him early and wrote the Democratic-held district off as unwinnable.Israel may have hoped he could leave politics and become a literary figure. He wrote a novel, The Global War on Morris, on his iPhone during the campaign-- instead of doing his job. It should be out in January... but people who have read parts of it all all pretty unanimously agree that F. Scott Fitzgerald, J.D. Salinger or John Steinbeck he'll never be. No, not even Nathaniel Hawthorne or Philip Roth or Don DeLillo.