Embattled House Oversight Chair Darrell Issa, still reeling from the recent ouster of his controversial spokesmen Kurt Bardella, is back on the war path against the Obama Administration and “government” corruption. Only a couple weeks after suffering “the worst week in Washington” according to the Washington Post, Issa has set his eye on investigating health care waivers granted by the Obama administration to 1,040 companies allowing them an additional year to comply with the requirements of recent health care legislation, an SEC investigation into Bernie Madoff by a then SEC employee whose family may have simultaneously had an account with the alleged ponzi-schemer, and statements by former DC mayoral candidate Sulaimon Brown regarding his receiving a job offer and money from current Mayor Vincent Gray in exchange for criticizing then-Mayor Adrian Fenty.
Also, Issa’s investigation into suspect FOIA practices at the Department of Homeland Security continues. In a letter to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, Issa accuses the department of demoting DHS employee Catherine Papoi for alerting the inspector general to illicit FOIA practices, including the shelving of certain FOIA requests by political appointees at the department. Issa’s letter claims that, “Federal officials who retaliate against or otherwise interfere with employees who exercise their right to furnish information to Congress are not entitled to have their salaries paid by taxpayer dollars.” (more…)
