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House Republicans Trade Sensitive Information for Campaign Cash Selling Out Security In what Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton has called a “shameful sale of public office for private gain,” House Republicans sold sensitive defense briefings to anyone with $1,000 to contribute to their campaigns. In a direct mail solicitation by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) obtained by Judicial Watch and signed by liberal Virginia Republican Tom Davis, donors were invited to join the exclusive “Speaker’s Circle” which would entitle them to a “special briefing on Homeland Security and National Defense.” All they had to do to join was to contribute $1,000 to the NRCC. Several hundred contributors took advantage of the offer and attended the event, which was held at the Ronald Reagan Building in downtown Washington, DC on March 13-14. In exchange for their contributions, donors were offered face time with top ranking Bush Administration officials such as assistant Commerce Secretary Maria Cino, Assistant Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, and Health and Human Services Chief of Staff Robert Wood. Majority Whip Tom DeLay and House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas were other elected Republican officials who participated in the event. The solicitation letter implied that the information imparted was top-secret and classified in nature as attendees were cautioned they would be required to present photo identification. “Here you have the direct involvement of very high-level administration officials,” said Fitton. “This is not what we sent them to Washington to do. They are supposed to be doing the work of the American people and not giving special briefings to Republican donors.” The fundraising scheme employed by the NRCC is virtually identical to that concocted by Bill and Hillary Clinton and Al Gore. Clinton-Gore perfected the technique of trading access to power in exchange for campaign contributions in the 1990s. Judicial Watch first uncovered the sale of trade mission seats to corporations, such as Enron, in exchange for donations to Clinton-Gore campaign and the DNC. It appears Republicans have picked up where Bill Clinton and Al Gore left off. “Forget about Ronald Reagan. It seems Bill Clinton is the model for fundraising activity by some Republicans,” continued Fitton. This is the second occasion Judicial Watch was forced to file ethics and criminal complaints against the NRCC. In 2001, Judicial Watch launched legal action against the NRCC and Tom Delay for selling access to Bush Administration officials in exchange for contributions. JW’s request for a Justice Department investigation received wide support. And prominent members of the Republican Party, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert, supported JW’s efforts to have the illegal solicitations stop. Hastert repudiated these tactics. Not surprisingly, the Justice Department declined to take action. However, according to a March 4 report in Roll Call Magazine, Capitol Hill’s news publication, “Lee Radek, the DOJ official who made the decision, was transferred out of his position at the direction of Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, who was angered by the decision and its reliance on precedents set by former Attorney General Janet Reno.”
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