Make that eleven members of Congress under investigation
When writing about members of Congress that are under investigation you always run the risk of being quickly out of date, at least with this Congress. Case in point: on Monday we told you about the nine current and three former members of Congress that are under investigation. Today we learned that the total now runs at eleven current members under investigation. California Democrat Jane Harman has fallen under scrutiny from the Justice Department for alleged influence trading to secure the chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee should Democrats retake the House next year. Arizona Republican Rick Renzi, meanwhile, is under two separate Justice Department investigations for sponsoring legislation that benefits associates and campaign contributors. From the Members of Congress under investigation page:
- Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) is under investigation by the Justice Department for allegedly (with the help of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) enlisting wealthy donors to lobby House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to retain Harman as the head Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. The investigation into the alleged campaign to support Harman for the leadership post began in mid-2005 after media reports said that Pelosi might name Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) to succeed Harman. In addition to investigating alleged calls made at Harman's behest by wealthy Democratic Party contributors to Pelosi, the probe is also looking into whether, in exchange for help from AIPAC, Harman agreed to try to persuade the Bush Administration to go easy on AIPAC officials involved in a broader investigation. Both Harman and AIPAC have denied the allegations.
- Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) is currently the subject of two Justice Department investigations. First, he is under investigation for his involvement in a federal land swap deal. While officials have not revealed details of the probe, it is widely believed that it surrounds legislation Renzi agreed to introduce in 2005 completing a land swap for a former business partner, James Sandlin. Second, Renzi is being probed for introducing legislation (which became law) exempting the Fort Huachuca Army base in Arizona from maintaining water levels in the nearby San Pedro River. ManTech International, a military contractor who has been one of Renzi's largest contributors and currently employs his father, has over $450 million in contracts at the base. According to a government official, both investigations remain at the early stages.
Finally, there's no apparent investigation underway, but check out this YouTube video of a local Nevada newscast where noted anti-immigration firebrand Rep. Jim Gibbons (R-Nev.) appears to get caught dead to rights employing an illegal immigrant for several years as a domestic servant. There's more on his Congresspedia profile.