Posted at 2:20 PM ET, 11/26/2008

Lieberman Contributed to GOP Senate, House Candidates

Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-Conn.) support of John McCain's presidential campaign was well known. His contribution to Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) was not. (By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post Photo)

By Paul Kane

Here's a story of the Thanksgiving spirit, forgiving and forgetting senatorial style.

When Democrats gathered last week to decide the fate of Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), a pair of senators-elect, Tom Udall of New Mexico and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, stepped up to offer symbolically important speeches.

Having ridden the wave of support for President-elect Barack Obama, Udall and Merkley spoke out in favor of the spirit of reconciliation and moving on from the campaign, in which Lieberman was one of the highest profile supporters of the Republican presidential ticket.

But no one in the room knew, as Merkley spoke, that Lieberman had supported Merkley's opponent, Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.). Lieberman, through his Reuniting Our Country PAC, gave Smith's reelection bid $5,000 on Oct. 10, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Lieberman's support of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for the presidency was well known, punctuated by his nationally televised speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul criticizing Obama as not prepared to be president. His endorsement of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who has served as the top Republican beside him at the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, also was well known in Democratic circles.

But not even Merkley knew of Lieberman's backing of Smith in their critical Senate race, until Capitol Briefing alerted his staff today.

"We were surprised to hear this news, but it's time to put the election behind us. Jeff Merkley is looking forward to working with all his new colleagues on an agenda that will put our nation back on track," said Julie Edwards, spokeswoman for Merkley.

Lieberman's support of Smith came the same weekend he wrote an op-ed in the St. Paul Pioneer Press defending Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) for his work as chairman of an investigative subcommittee on Lieberman's homeland security committee. The same day he wrote a check to Smith, Lieberman's ROC PAC gave $5,000 to Rep. Peter King, the Long Island Republican. In radio and TV appearances the final days of the campaign, Lieberman also frequently said that a Democratic majority of 60 votes, a filibuster-proof level, would be a bad thing.

Lieberman's $5,000 check was clearly not a difference maker for Smith, as Merkley still won by more than 50,000 votes. And Coleman is clinging to a razor-thin lead during a recount of his race against Democrat Al Franken.

But the internal Democratic caucus debate over Lieberman's fate almost always focused on Lieberman's criticism of Obama, not on his support of Republicans in Senate races. Edwards, Merkley's spokeswoman, has said that Merkley also expressed how much Lieberman's actions in the presidential race angered him. He did not encourage other Democrats to vote one way or the other, but did talk about moving on from the bitter fights of the campaign.

Then, on a 42-13 vote, Democrats supported keeping Lieberman as chairman of the committee with broad oversight of the Obama administration and removing him from the Environment and Public Works Committee.

Lieberman's office acknowledged his donation to Smith, but noted that he worked hard for other Democrats as well. "While the Senator's political action committee donated to a very few Republicans, the Senator's pacs donated and raised over a half million dollars for wide range of Democratic candidates and organizations in this past election cycle," Marshall Wittmann, his spokesman, said.

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Posted at 3:36 PM ET, 11/20/2008

Who Will Lead House Oversight and Government Reform?

By Ed O'Keefe

Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-Calif.) victory over Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) in the "Clash of the Titans" battle to chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee means Waxman will step down as chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The California Democrat has led Congress' main investigative committee since 2007. He served as ranking member starting in 1997.

Waxman's move sets up yet another battle to control yet another key committee. Seniority is no longer the only factor determining who gets chairmanships, as the fight for Energy and Commerce demonstrated, but in practice it's still the most important. Expect a delicate battle that could incorporate seniority, age and between three members: Reps. Edolphus "Ed" Towns, Carolyn Maloney and Elijah Cummings. Towns is the most senior member of the trio, but Cummings may be seen by colleagues as the most effective chairman. Here's a review of the Democratic contenders in order of seniority:

Continue reading at Federal Eye>>

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Posted at 3:10 PM ET, 11/20/2008

Waxman's Win Marks Seismic Shift in House

The clash between Reps. Henry Waxman (Calif.) and John Dingell (Mich.) was notable in the recently quiet and stable House Democratic caucus.

By Ben Pershing

Democrats have a comfortable majority now in the House, and they will again in January. Nancy Pelosi is the Speaker now, and she will be again in January. In a capital that is in the midst of a titanic change, House Democrats have been a relatively calm sea of stability since Election Day. Until this morning.

Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-Calif.) defeat of Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) for the Energy and Commerce Committee gavel represents a huge shift in the way the Democratic Caucus runs itself, and in the broader culture that has developed over decades around a few hard and fast rules governing the distribution of power on Capitol Hill.

What does Waxman's victory really mean going forward? Given the shear scope of the panel's jurisdiction, and how long it's been since anyone other than Dingell was the committee's top Democrat, it will be weeks or months before all of the effects of Waxman's win are known. But here are three implications that are clear right now.

1) Seniority Is Dead. In a way, the House Democratic Caucus has long operated like a public employees' union. Seniority ruled the day, and if you stuck around long enough -- meaning you had a safe enough district to get reelected cycle after cycle -- you would keep moving up the committee ladder, almost without regard for merit. That's not to say the current crop of chairmen are necessarily bad at their jobs (though some probably are), only that the people who hold gavels don't necessarily have them because they are the agreed-upon masters of their field.

In theory, Democrats did away with seniority as the determinative principle for chairmen back in 1974, but in practice the longest-serving committee member has nearly always gotten the gavel.

Notably, since Democrats captured control of the House in the 2006 elections, Pelosi has kept on the books a Republican-authored rule mandating six-year term limits for chairmen, so many of the current chairs would be termed out in 2012. But there have been rumbles from Dingell and his ilk that they would try to get that rule scrapped, a step that appears highly unlikely given today's events.

Now, there are some nervous chairmen out there. If Dingell can be beaten, why not Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) or Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.)? Yes, those chairmen will support each other, just as most probably voted for Dingell. But there are a lot more members in the Democratic Caucus who aren't chairmen than members who are, and many of them would like their own shots at a gavel someday.

...Continue reading this post ...

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Posted at 10:57 AM ET, 11/20/2008

Waxman Defeats Dingell

By Paul Kane

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) won the vote, 137-122, to become the new chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, defeating the legendary Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.).

The vote came a day after the House Democratic steering committee recommended Waxman for the post in a narrow 25-22 vote. The powerful Energy panel, with jurisdiction over health care, energy issues and telecommunications policy, will play a significant role in moving much of President-elect Barack Obama's agenda in the 111th Congress.

"It's the mantra of the Obama election. People want change," said Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), who supported Waxman. "He'll work best with the new administration."

Senior Democrats were stunned by the Waxman victory, which seemingly dealt a blow to the party's long-held principle of seniority.

"It's just been buried," Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said of seniority.

Despite House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's public neutrality in the race, Rangel accused her of playing a role. "I assume that not playing a role is playing a role," Rangel said.

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Posted at 1:53 PM ET, 11/19/2008

Panel Recommends Waxman Over Dingell for Key Gavel

By Paul Kane

In a tight vote, the House Democratic steering committee has recommended placing Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) into the chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee, ejecting current chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.).

On a 25-22 vote, Waxman defeated Dingell, according to a lawmaker in the room who requested anonymity to discuss the closed-door deliberations. The full House Democratic caucus now votes on the chairmanship battle tomorrow.

The Energy panel is regarded as the one of the most powerful in the House, with vast sway over health care, energy issues and telecommunications policy, among other industries.

Much of President-elect Barack Obama's agenda will have to go through that panel, turning the Waxman-Dingell race into an ideological and regional battle.

Dingell, of Dearborn, is a close ally of the auto industry. His wife, Debbie, is an executive with General Motors, which has been pleading for billions of dollars worth of federal aid as it faces a cash crunch threatening it with bankruptcy.

He has often opposed many of the reforms more liberal Democrats have sought to impose on the auto makers.

Waxman, of Los Angeles, hails from the liberal wing of the party and has long supported imposing fuel efficiency standards and other reforms on Detroit's Big Three.

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Posted at 1:10 PM ET, 11/19/2008

Sessions Elected NRCC Chair; Cantor Becomes Whip

By Ben Pershing and Paul Kane

Rep. Pete Sessions (Texas) was elected today to chair the National Republican Congressional Committee for the 111th Congress, after current Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.) unexpectedly dropped his bid for a second term at the campaign arm.

"I am honored to be elected chairman of the [NRCC], and I thank my colleagues for their support as I begin working immediately to win back a Republican majority," Sessions said. "As a member of a unified Republican leadership team, I look forward to working with [Minority] Leader [John] Boehner and our entire Republican Conference to translate our coordinated, principled efforts into electoral success."

Cole had been running to stay on as chairman even though he has lost more than 20 GOP seats over the last two years, and despite the fact that he has had a tense relationship with Boehner, who was reelected to his post this morning. Boehner had backed Sessions in the NRCC contest, and Cole likely dropped out because he saw that he wouldn't win today's vote, according to GOP sources.

UPDATE 1:35 p.m. ET: In other GOP leadership moves, Rep. Eric Cantor (Va.) was elevated to minority whip on a unanimous, uncontested vote, and similarly unopposed Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.) was elevated to Republican Conference chairman, the No. 3 post.

Cantor and Pence succeed Reps. Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Adam Putnam (Fla.), respectively, both of whom stepped down from their posts to clear the way for new blood.

Rep. Thad McCotter (Mich.) defeated Rep. Michael Burgess (Texas), retaining his post as policy committee chairman. And Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.) was elected vice-chair of the conference.

Several of these moves signaled the increased strength of Boehner in the conference, as Pence, Sessions and McMorris Rodgers all ran for those positions with Boehner's blessing.

Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) was re-elected into the position of conference secretary, the lowest ranking post on the leadership ladder.

Only Boehner, McCotter and Carter will hold the same positions in the 111th Congress as they currently occupy.

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Posted at 12:07 PM ET, 11/19/2008

Boehner Wins GOP Leader Race

By Paul Kane

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) won re-election to his post this morning, easily defeating a last-minute challenge by Rep Dan Lungren (R-Calif).

"To rebuild the party, the energy has to come from us. And I will challenge all of you," Boehner said in a speech to colleagues, according to transcripts provided by his office.

Boehner was elected majority leader in early 2006, replacing outgoing Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), and then won the race for minority leader two years ago, after his party was thrown out of power for the first time since 1994.

He has helped oversee a pair of brutal election cycles for Republicans, who've lost 53 House seats combined in 2006 and 2008 and through special elections this year.

But Boehner has not been blamed by most of his colleagues, who largely cast blame on the unpopular Bush administration and a poisonous political environment for Republicans overall.

Outgoing House Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam (Fla.), who oversees the elections, did not announce a vote tally in the Boehner-Lungren race, according to aides in the room. It was expected to be a large margin of victory for Boehner over Lungren, whose campaign appeared to be based not on trying to win the race but rather on sending a message to the conference that they must change their outlook heading into the next Congress.

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Posted at 10:30 AM ET, 11/18/2008

Stevens Expulsion Vote Postponed

By Ben Pershing and Paul Kane

An internal GOP vote on whether to expel convicted Sen. Ted Stevens (Alaska) from the Senate, originally slated to happen today, has been postponed, as his fellow Republicans wait for all the ballots to be counted in Stevens' reelection race.

The Senate Republican Conference is meeting right now, and had been scheduled to take up a resolution by Sen. Jim DeMint (S.C.) calling for Stevens, who was convicted last month on seven felony counts for failing to disclose gifts, to be kicked out of the Senate. An expulsion would require a vote of the full Senate, but if Republicans decide to boot the Alaskan, his fate would be sealed.

But the election results may end up doing DeMint's job for him. Though Stevens led in the balloting at the close of Election Day, the current tally in Alaska now has the incumbent trailing Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) by 1,022 votes, with about 24,000 ballots remaining to be counted today. If Stevens loses, DeMint may not bother pushing forward to expel the veteran lawmaker.

"After talking with many of my colleagues, it's clear there are sufficient votes to pass the resolution regarding Senator Stevens," DeMint said in a statement released this morning. "The question now is timing. Some who support the resolution believe we should address this after the results of his election are confirmed in Alaska. For this reason, I will ask the Conference to postpone the vote on Senator Stevens until Thursday."

UPDATE 11:40 a.m. ET: Stevens just spoke to the Capitol press corps for the first time since his conviction last month.

He left the ongoing GOP organizational meeting to go to the men's restroom, and afterward said he did not plan to say anything of substance about his legal predicament to his colleagues.

"I plan to say, 'It's a nice day. It's a really nice day,'" Stevens said.

"I wouldn't wish what I'm going through on anyone, my worst enemy," he added.

Stevens said the Alaska Republican Party would automatically ask for a recount for his re-election if he ends up losing by 0.5 percent or less to Begich.

"No, no, no," Stevens said when asked if he would seek a pardon for his offenses.

He said he's been "leading three lives" the past few months - criminal defendent, candidate for election, U.S. senator.

Stevens also said he's not had a good night's sleep in four months -- he was indicted July 29.

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Posted at 12:45 PM ET, 11/17/2008

Kennedy Returns to Senate for Lame-Duck Session

By Ben Pershing

After being absent for the better part of six months to undergo cancer treatments, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) is back in the chamber this week for what may be the final legislative sessions of the 110th Congress.

"It's good to be back in the Senate," Kennedy said in a statement released by his office. "I am particularly looking forward to seeing my staff and my colleagues and to working in the current brief session on a realistic new stimulus package to help our fellow Americans who are suffering in this economic crisis."

Since he was diagnosed with a brain tumor in May, Kennedy has been away from the chamber coping with radiation and chemotherapy. He made a brief, dramatic return to the Senate floor in July to cast a key vote on proceeding to passage of a measure blocking physician pay cuts under Medicare. But other than that vote and a surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Kennedy has been largely out of the public eye.

Despite Kennedy's expressed desire to work on a stimulus bill this week, it appears unlikely anything will get signed into law beyond a possible extension of unemployment benefits, given that the Bush administration and most Senate Republicans are opposed to moving anything more ambitious. Democrats will need all the votes they can get this week, as Barack Obama has resigned from the chamber and Joe Biden is not expected to cast any votes either.

But Kennedy already has his sights set on next year. As The Sleuth reported, Kennedy is eager to get working on a new health care reform bill in collaboration with the new Obama administration, and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions panel chairman has gone so far as rejecting a request by Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) that a new subcommittee on health care be created for her to chair.

"I will also continue to lay the ground work for early action by Congress on health reform when President Obama takes office in January," Kennedy said in the statement. "We've been making real progress in our discussions about a consensus approach, and I'm optimistic we'll succeed.

"I am grateful for the prayers and good wishes I've received over the past several months. They have certainly lifted my spirits, as has the election of Barack Obama as our 44th President.""

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Posted at 4:50 PM ET, 11/14/2008

Boehner Draws Challenge for GOP Leader

By Ben Pershing

House Minority Leader John Boehner will face a challenge for re-election to the GOP's top post, as California Rep. Dan Lungren announced Friday that he would mount what will likely be a longshot bid to unseat the Ohioan.

Boehner has been the party's top leader in the House since the start of the 110th Congress, and he is in strong position to keep that job despite the GOP's loss of at least 20 seats on Election Day. Until today, it had looked as though he might be unopposed when the party meets to elect its leaders next week -- a situation that appears to be the motivating factor behind Lungren's run.

"After discussions with several of my colleagues, it has become increasingly clear to me that we must not revert to 'business as usual' in the selection of our House Republican Leadership," Lungren said in a statement released by his office. "It is undeniable that the American people are tired of the way congress has conducted its business on their behalf."

Lungren did not spell out what he would do if he actually became Minority Leader, but suggested it would be healthier for Republicans if Boehner did not go unchallenged. "It is my belief that it is neither in the interest of our Party or the advancement of our conservative principles to simply affirm the status quo by acclamation in light of what happened on November 4th," he said.

In response to Lungren's announcement, Boehner said: "Dan Lungren is a respected member of our conference and a man deeply committed to the principles that have defined our party since the beginning."

Lungren served in the House representing a Southern California district from 1978 to 1988, then left Congress and was elected state attorney general in 1990, holding that position for eight years. He was elected back to the House in 2004 from a Sacramento-area district, and has worked mostly on homeland security and judiciary issues since then.

Lungren is a conservative but not a well-known leader of that faction, which most observers assumed would be the source of any challenge to Boehner's reign. Perhaps the two best-known conservative leaders, Reps. Mike Pence (Ind.) and Jeb Hensarling (Texas), set their sights on the vacant Republican Conference Chairman position instead, with Hensarling eventually backing out of that contest to support Pence.

And Rep. Eric Cantor (Calif.), widely seen as the most viable potential opponent for Boehner, has chosen to run for the party's No. 2 job, Minority Whip, which was just vacated by Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). Boehner has also sought to steer supporters into other positions below him, backing Pence for the Conference chair post and endorsing Rep. Pete Sessions (Texas) in his challenge to Rep. Tom Cole (Okla.) -- a frequent Boehner foe over the last two years -- for the chairmanship of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

All that maneuvering has meant that Boehner looks safe to win another term in his job next week, despite Lungren's decision to mount what appears to be a largely symbolic run.

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Posted at 2:25 PM ET, 11/13/2008

Report: Aide to Sen. Boxer Charged in Child Porn Case

UPDATE 7:35 p.m. ET: According to the FBI affidavit filed in this case, Rosato did not actually exchange pornography with an undercover law enforcement agent. An unnamed person (identified as "Mr. XXXXXX") did, and when the FBI searched that person's computer, they discovered information that led them to Rosato.

ORIGINAL POST: A longtime senior aide to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has been fired from his post after being charged with distributing and receiving child pornography, according to a report in Roll Call (subscription required).

Jeff Rosato, an aide to Boxer and senior policy adviser and counsel on the Environment and Public Works Committee, was arrested last week and charged by the Justice Department "after he sent more than 600 images and movies of child pornography to an undercover FBI agent he believed was a 13-year-old boy," Roll Call reported, citing an FBI affidavit.

Investigators also found numerous pornographic photos and movies and photos in Rosato's Alexandria home when they searched it in November. Rosato's attorney did not return a phone call from Roll Call seeking comment.

Boxer spokeswoman Natalie Ravitz confirmed to Capitol Briefing that Rosato had been fired because of the charges.

"On Friday, the Justice Department informed our office of criminal charges made against a Senate employee," Ravitz said. "Senator Boxer has zero tolerance for crimes against children, and the employee was immediately terminated. Our office is cooperating fully with the Department of Justice in this matter."

In addition to chairing the EPW panel, Boxer is also the chairwoman of the Senate Ethics Committee.

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