Congresspedia, We Needia

U.S. Congress

Why do we need a website devoted to citizen journalism about Congress? Here are just a few of the stories related to corruption, ethics and transparency involving the U.S. Congress in 2006:

The San Bernadino Sun created a page documenting the ongoing investigation of Rep. Jerry Lewis (D-Calif.) to help document his ongoing scandals. Jerry Lewis's step daughter, Julie Willis-Leon made $37,420 dollars from her PAC whose listed address is a Capitol Hill town house owned by former Lewis employee Letita White and a defense contractor who has benefited from Lewis earmarks. As a result of increased media scrutiny regarding its ties to Lewis, the Lowery Denton and White lobbying firm announced it is breaking up into two separate partnerships.

Rep. John Doolittle's (R-Calif.) wife's company was paid indirectly, without her knowing, by an Indian tribe client of Jack Abramoff when working on his fundraiser.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) denied wrongdoing in response to allegations that he failed to properly disclose an Illinois real estate trust for which he had invested. Hastert had used the trust to invest in real estate near the proposed route of the Prairie Parkway, a highway project for which he's secured $207 million in earmarked appropriations.

Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) helped secure $1.28 million in a 2005 highway bill for street improvements near a planned residential and commercial development that he co-owns.

Rep. Ralph Regula (R-Ohio) helped procure more than $2 million in earmarks for an Ohio historical site operated by his wife.

At the urging of Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the House Democratic Caucus voted to remove scandal-laden Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) from the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) bid farewell to Congress and joined Randy "Duke" Cunningham in the former members of Congress category. He'll stay in Congresspedia " members of Congress under investigation" page, however, due to the ongoing Texas campaign finance investigation.