Lobbyists Hold Holiday Party for House Govt Reform Committee

Deploying his deep pockets, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-VA) throws the annual holiday party for his committee staff. Some committees in Congress have their staff members cover the costs of their holiday party.

But House Government “Reform” Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA) has come up a more creative arrangement. Lobbyists and defense contractors threw the annual holiday party for the Committee which, coincidentally, oversees federal agency contracting. Here's the invite.

Who needs Santa Claus when contractors have Chairman Tom Davis to thank for opening up the government’s coffers! By our calculation following the House gift rules, each of the nine sponsors could spend up to $450 per staff or member of Congress. That’s quite a party!!!

The December 15, 2005 bash was held in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building and was sponsored by:

-- McGuire Woods Consulting which employs former Tom Davis staffer Barnaby Harkins. Harkins worked for Davis for four years, “specifically focused on education, federal procurement and appropriations.” Harkins lobbies for one of the largest foreign-owned defense contractors, shipping giant Maersk. In addition, one of the firm's clients is defense contractor Northrop Grumman Mission Systems.

-- Patton Boggs, which, in 2005, retained Peter Sirh, the former Staff Director for Davis’ House Government Reform Committee and former Chief of Staff to Davis. Sirh helped Patton Boggs rake in a hefty $260,000 lobbying fee from MCI in the first six months of 2005, in part to “Assist MCI with contract issues relating to specific government contracts…” MCI is competing for a $20 billion telecommunications contract which has been a pet project of Tom Davis. Committee staff members strenuously deny that Davis has a hand in choosing who gets the contract but a recent article suggested that contractors think otherwise.

Sirh’s access to Tom Davis was a hot commodity for Patton Boggs. While there, Sirh also lobbied for:

• the DC government ($140,000 in fees in Jan-June, 2005)
• Defense contractor ADS ($20,000 in fees from Jan-June, 2005)
• Defense contractor DDL Omni Engineering ($20,000 in fees from Jan-June 2005)
• PriceWaterhouseCoopers ($100,000 in fees from Jan-June 2005)

-- Innovative Defense Strategies, where Peter Sirh also worked in 2005, also sponsored the party. It’s an awfully strange coincidence that the firm gave a $5,000 political contribution to Tom Davis’ wife in 2003, although Jeanmarie Devolites and Tom weren’t married at that point.

--PodestaMatton which lobbied on behalf of the government’s #1 defense contractor, behemoth Lockheed Martin ($140,000 in fees from Jan-June 2005) as well as the Native American Contractors Association ($100,000 in fees from Jan-June, 2005). Hey, whatever happened to the Committee’s investigation into abuses in Native American contracting?

--Defense contractor BearingPoint which reported a whopping $500,000 in lobbying expenses in 2005 (that’s a lot of Christmas parties!) including on “Govt. Contracting issues.” BearingPoint (previously KPMG) has supported Tom Davis’ annual legislative goody bag of contractor favors (known in shorthand as SARA and ASIA), some provisions of which he has succeeded in attaching to Defense Authorization bills.

--Holland and Knight which openly brags about joining in a “drafting summit… with members of industry” held by Davis’ staff to draft that contractor legislation.

--Defense contractor General Dynamics, which opened a production facility in Tom Davis’ district a few years back. At the time, Davis bragged of playing “a pivotal role in bringing the project to Northern Virginia.”

Comments

Yeah you flaming liberals love lou dobbs and the Communist News Network. Get back to us in 20 years and let us know how that is working out for you.

FYI, Committee claims they'll have party again next year --

CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight
January 13, 2006

DOBBS: Tonight while Washington is suffering the beginnings of the fall out from a massive lobbying scandal, new details are emerging about a questionable office party attended by several members of Congress. The holiday party was paid for by several high-powered lobbying firms and government contractors. The guests of honor: none other than the members of the House Committee on Government Reform.

Christine Romans has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Music by the band the Second Amendment, an open bar with hors d'oeuvres held in the Rayburn Congressional Office Building, it was the holiday party for the House Government Reform Committee, paid for by nine lobby firms and government contractors.

BETH DALEY, PROJECT ON GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT: It really shows that the line between government and money special interests is becoming more and more frayed.

ROMANS: The Project on Government Oversight criticizes the committee's chairman, Republican Tom Davis of Virginia, for allowing his reform committee to be too cozy with special interests.

The congressman's office said the party was widely attended by federal officials, staff and members from both sides of the aisle. And a spokesman called the party completely appropriate, and within House ethics rules, and accused the authors of the report of a partisan attack.

Quote, "If Tom Davis were to sneeze, they would accuse him of spreading bird flu."

Still, the Project on Government Oversight report lauds another Republican, Senator John Warner, also of Virginia. He pays for his Armed Services Committee holiday party himself.

And many committees, like the House International Relations Committee, require staffers and members pay their own way. House ethics rules allow $50 per congressman or staffer to be paid for by lobbyists or contractors.

DALEY: All of this is legal, but that doesn't make it right.

ROMANS: In fact, she says if all nine firms each paid $50 per partygoer, that was quite a party.

FRANK CLEMENTE, PUBLIC CITIZEN: That was a huge gift to the chairman of that committee and to the staff, and it's just inappropriate. Our public space shouldn't be used that way.

ROMANS: His group, Public Citizen, is calling for a complete ban on gifts and travel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Most of the sponsors of this party did not return calls or would not comment, if they did. But UPS tells us they are proud to sponsor the party for such a large prestigious committee and they find it a nice way to ring in the new year.

A UPS spokesman didn't know how much that party cost but said they'd sponsor it against next year.

As for Chairman Tom Davis, his spokesman said they'd be happy to have lobbyists and contractors pay again next year, Lou. There's nothing wrong with that.

DOBBS: So generally what we're talking about, and just to be very clear, our interest in the story has nothing to do, frankly, with Davis, or whether it's Democrats or Republicans. It's the idea that something called the government, the committee on government reform would be in the midst of all of what is happening with lobbyists in Washington having a party paid for by sponsors.

But what I find interesting, Christine, as you sum it up, this committee apparently assumed somebody should be paying for it other than themselves?

ROMANS: John Warner over at the Senate, he pays for his own party. A lot of staffers are starting to pay for their own parties, as well. This committee wants to stick with the lobbyists and the contractors at this point.

DOBBS: Maybe the Senate Intelligence Committee should have the CIA pay for its. Maybe -- you know, the -- I don't know. It just goes on and on. The International Relations Committee, maybe they could have Russia kick in, maybe a little from China?

ROMANS: There you go.

DOBBS: Let's hope they're not, but, anyway.

Thank you very much, Christine.

[Pete B]

Roger's solution is Haiku and the other person is aghast. Meanwhile POGO is like the brat in high school who always told the teacher when all the other kids were having a good time. Nobody liked that kid and people don't like you POGO. You're never get real results by tattling. You need to start working with the system we have.

[aghast]

It amazes me how many people still don't get it. Lobbyists should not be paying for lavish parties for congressmen and their staff. It doesn't matter if there is no proof of a quid pro quo. Yes, it's just a
stupid little Chritmas party, but it is emblematic of a gigantic mechanism of corruption. Wouldn't it
be nice if the government worked for the People of the United States of America, for a change?

[Roger Drowne EC]

MY ( MONEY ) gOD

More Very Very Sick Repug Crap

When Will It End

Free Images & Ideas 2 END IT at

htpp://www.TheBuffaloParty.com

Why... well because the Elephent and Donkey Party R LOST/DEAD

[L Streeter]

This is text book much to do about nothing. This insignificant incident demonstrates POGO's anti-corporation bias. It is past naive to think that if this party didn't happen or if they stop all such parties that anything would change. Sorry POGO didn't get invited. You did your little temper tantrum for the media. Now why don't you spend your resources on trying to correct a problem that matters?

[K Street Foe]

For a "buddy" of K Street, you seem awefully winsome for some heads to roll. It does seem there's no "proof" here as you say from the cub reporter or the "government shill publication." Lots of smoke. Perhaps you and yours have some fire you can share...

[K Street Buddy]

To K Street Foe [goodness gracious, you're on the edge of civility, dear]--

Yes, isn't it sad that the writer of piece had no proof, so "pointed" in the direction of a vacuous article in a government shill publication.

[K Street Foe]

POGO wasn't getting sloppy, they were just pointing to the article and what it suggested.

[K Street Buddy]

Re your citation of a govexec article that suggests that Congressman Davis plays a role in contractor selections in -- via influence, not formalities--executive agencies: that article was pretty much wet behind the ears and written by a cub reporter. Don't take it has weighty proof of your assertion. POGO can do better than that, don't you think? You are getting really sloppy.