DEMOCRAT DIRTY LAUNDRY: Braley Accused of Using Taxpayer Funded Official Resources for Political Campaign

SPIN CYCLE: Then-Speaker Pelosi Promised that Democrats Would “Demand the Highest Ethics from Every Public Servant”:

“Our goal is to restore accountability, honesty and openness at all levels of government. To do so, we will create and enforce rules that demand the highest ethics from every public servant, sever unethical ties between lawmakers and lobbyists, and establish clear standards that prevent the trading of official business for gifts.” (Nancy Pelosi’s “A New Direction for America,” Page 21)

RINSE CYCLE: Bruce Braley Solicited Attendance from Newly Redistricted Cedar Rapids Constituents with Official Resources which is Against House Ethics Rules:

“A complaint addressed to the Office of Congressional Ethics claims Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, violated U.S. House rules in an email he sent to constituents earlier this week.

“The complaint was filed on Wednesday, Aug. 8, by Matt Giese of Dubuque, a former chair of the Dubuque County Republicans. Giese cites House rules in alleging the email sent by Braley equates to campaign literature sent using taxpayer-funded resources. Giese says in the complaint that Braley “used official resources of the House of Representatives for blatant campaign purposes in violation of the longstanding principle ‘that government funds should not be spent to help incumbents gain re-election.’

“Braley’s email, sent on Tuesday, Aug. 7, invites constituents to one of two deficit workshops to be held on Monday, Aug. 20, in Waterloo and Cedar Rapids. The issue Giese’s complaint raises is that Cedar Rapids is not in the current 1st Congressional District of Iowa. As a result of redistricting — which will go into effect after this fall’s election — Cedar Rapids is in the new 1st District.

“‘Based on the fact that Braley does not represent the people of Cedar Rapids, the only conceivable reason that Braley would have in using official taxpayer-funded resources to communicate with the residents of Cedar Rapids is to support his re-election campaign in violation of House ethics rules and federal law,’ Giese’s complaint states.

“Cody Brown, an adviser to the campaign for Ben Lange, Braley’s Republican challenger, issued this statement:

“‘Congressman Bruce Braley is using taxpayer resources to fund his re-election campaign. This is an outrageous breach of the public’s trust and we call on the Office of Congressional Ethics to immediately launch a formal congressional investigation into the conduct of Braley’s Washington office.

“‘Braley should apologize to Iowa taxpayers and because the misuse of official House resources for campaign purposes may violate criminal laws, Braley should also disclose all internal communications related to this improper activity to prove to Iowa taxpayers that this ethical lapse was caused by something other than criminal wrongdoing.’

“Braley’s office was expected to issue a response Thursday morning.” (Erin Murphy, “Complaint filed against Braley’s office,” Telegraph Herald, 8/9/2012)

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