Having read the article and listened, the congresswoman is likely within the letter of the law, as she never explicitly suggested a quid pro quo. However, this sort of thing is an object lesson in how to violate the spirit of a law without violating the letter of it, and it is undoutedly how this plays out time and time again in our system.
- wolf
From the White House Ethics manual...
p. 147: [N]o solicitation of a campaign or political contribution may be linked to an action taken or to be taken by a Member
in his or her official capacity.
The Standards Committee has long advised Members
that they should always exercise caution to avoid even the appearance that solicitations of campaign contributions are connected in any way with an action taken or to be taken in their official capacity.
[A] Member should not sponsor or participate in any solicitation that offers donors any special access to the Member in the Members official capacity.
"This is, uh, Eleanor Norton, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. Uh, I noticed that you have given to uh, other colleagues on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. I am a, um, Senior Member, a twenty year veteran and am Chair of the Sub-committee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management. Im handling the largest economic development project in the United States now, the Homeland Security Compound of three buildings being built on the uh, old St. Elizabeths hospital site in the District of Columbia along with uh, fifteen other, uh, sites here for, that are part of the stimulus .
I was, frankly, uh, uh, surprised to see that we dont have a record, so far as I can tell, of your having given to me despite my uh, long and deep uh, work. In fact, its been my major work, uh, on the committee and sub-committee its been essentially in your sector.
I am, Im simply candidly calling to ask for a contribution. As the senior member of the um, committee and a sub-committee chair, we have (chuckles) obligations to raise, uh funds. And, I think it must have been me who hasnt, frankly, uh, done my homework to ask for a contribution earlier. So Im trying to make up for it by asking for one now, when we particularly, uh, need, uh contributions, particularly those of us who have the seniority and chairmanships and are in a position to raise the funds.." - Holmes Norton
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