Grayson Poster Promoting Website Causes Stir

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) is causing a stir on the House floor again, but this time it’s a poster, not Grayson’s words, that has Republicans screaming.

Wednesday afternoon, Grayson brought to the floor a poster emblazoned with “NamesOfTheDead.com” — the name of a website he launched with personal funds to memorialize those who have died as a result of lacking health care. The site allows the visitor to fill out a form with the name of a loved one — and his or her personal story.

But the site contains a link to his campaign website, raising the question of whether it could be considered a contribution to his reelection effort. A spokesman for Grayson said the House majority leader’s office OK’d the poster. But Republican operatives were also quick to raise ethics questions, saying it is improper to speak on the House floor about a website that contains a link to a campaign site, which is used to solicit funds.

Read more: (Jake Sherman, “Grayson’s Poster Causes Stir with GOP,” Politico, 10/22/09)