Rep. Issa Posts RNC Video On Oversight Committee YouTube Channel In Violation Of House Rules
Rep. Issa Posts RNC Video On Oversight Committee YouTube Channel In Violation Of House Rules
Yesterday, the Republican National Committee awarded Matthias Shapiro the “first-ever” Grassroots Logic award for a YouTube video he made that purports to put the cost of health care reform in perspective. After the event, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, congratulated Shapiro on Twitter, writing, “Kudos again to [Shapiro] for receiving RNC award this AM for excellent grassroots web work.” Issa linked to a video of the award ceremony which had been posted on the official YouTube channel of the Republicans on the Oversight Committee, adding, “My staff made video”:
While the event itself was fairly unremarkable, it featured RNC chairman Michael Steele speaking behind a large RNC logo, clearly branding it as a political event. The use of the committee’s official YouTube channel to distribute political communications is a clear violation of House rules. As the House’s policy for use of web videos explains:
The official content of any material posted by the Member on any Web site must be in compliance with Federal law and House Rules and Regulations applicable to official communications and germane to the conduct of the Member’s official and representational duties.
More specifically, House rules stipulate that “materials (ie. photos, logos, or graphics) used in campaign literature” cannot be distributed using government resources.
Issa’s use of the committee YouTube channel to distribute a political video becomes almost laughable when considered in light of the fact that the jurisdiction of his committee includes investigating abuse of government resources. As the about section of the channel explains:
As the minority on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, we will work with our colleagues in the majority to exercise effective oversight over the federal government and will work proactively to investigate and expose waste, fraud, and abuse.
Perhaps Issa’s committee can begin by investigating themselves.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Rethuglicans view rules as pie crusts- they’re made to be broken.
July 8th, 2009 at 1:19 pmHave you forgotten the last eight years of Bush? They don’t have to follow any rules or laws, those are for the Democrats.
July 8th, 2009 at 1:24 pmIssa forgot that the federal government is not a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican party.
July 8th, 2009 at 1:25 pmWho wants to be there will be NO repercussions?
July 8th, 2009 at 1:26 pmBetter not piss off “Jihad Darrell” – he’ll spend a lot of money trying to defeat…..well, something.
July 8th, 2009 at 1:26 pmThe Republicans spent eight happy years under the Bush gangster regime with no stinkin’ rules, so why on God’s Green Earth would Representative Issa (R – Somewhere in S. CA) think that he would have to “play by the rules” in 2009?
There is nothing like a group of people who have been used to dictating to everyone to suddenly be in the minority and almost powerless: they can’t handle it. See: Gov. Sanford fleeing to Argentina and Gov. Sarah fleeing away from Alaska…
July 8th, 2009 at 1:28 pmWaterboard the traitor!
July 8th, 2009 at 1:29 pmAnd why hasn’t there been an immediate censure? stewarjt is right, there will be no repercussions since the Democrats are stuck in a “bipartisan” spirit that doesn’t want to piss off the Republicans regardless of their actions
July 8th, 2009 at 1:29 pmDid Issa or this Shapiro runt, per chance, put the price of Bush’s wasteful wars into a cost perspective?
July 8th, 2009 at 1:30 pmat this point, they could send every amercian twenty bucks to vote for them and it still wouldn’t resurrect the GOP brand.
July 8th, 2009 at 1:31 pmok, but -
that purports to put the cost of health care reform in perspective.
shouldn’t there be a story, some pushback, about THAT?
please?
July 8th, 2009 at 1:33 pmwhy is it cancervative become concerned citizen when it comes to “the cost” of helping someone for example, healthcare but, they don’t give a rat’s ass about “the cost” when it comes to destroying something for example, iraq.
July 8th, 2009 at 1:35 pm,,, anymore.
July 8th, 2009 at 1:35 pmLock Issa in a small room and make him listen to his car alarms for a couple of days.
July 8th, 2009 at 1:44 pmOK. Anyone can make a mistake. But the question is, once they have been called on it, did they correct their error by taking it down ?
As of this posting, it is still very much active.
July 8th, 2009 at 1:47 pmis youtube even considered grassroots anymore?
some awards are resume placeholding CRAP
July 8th, 2009 at 1:56 pmUh, TP? Aren’t you forgetting something? Hmmm?
IOKIYAR! Never, ever forget that.
July 8th, 2009 at 2:02 pmAnd: Issa is the genius who gave us Gubernator Ah-nold and the California Meltdown. Why isn’t this man in jail, or at least picking feathers from the tar all over his body?
July 8th, 2009 at 2:04 pmHmmmmm…He received a Grassroots award from the leadership of the Republican National Committee.
I guess thats just like the “graasroot” teabagger movement being organized by the Republican Party, promoted by Fox News, and funded by Richard Mellon Scaife’s Competitive Enterprise Institute.
Only in right-wing alternate reality does grass grow from the top down.
July 8th, 2009 at 2:13 pmDarryl Issa is a thug.
July 8th, 2009 at 2:26 pmAll violations and crimes are legal if your Republican but if your a Democrat you have to resign.
July 8th, 2009 at 2:52 pmIs this the same Darrell Issa whose only accomplishment was selling a large number of car alarms? The same one who was suspected of burning his business to collect the insurance money? The guy who was charged with threatening his business partner with a gun? The main man behind the removal of Gray Davis for not balancing the budget (Arnuld in deficit $23 Billion per year)? THAT Darrell Issa ?
July 8th, 2009 at 2:55 pmIt’s time to update this posting. The video has been removed.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:01 pmMost politicians know to separate their party activities from their elected duties. For some reason the R’s seem to be forgetting that more and more. I don’t think they even see themselves as beholden to the people who sent them there at all, but rather as party functionaries only.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:20 pm15 Joshua notes at 3:00 that the Clip had been removed. 2 hours seems kind of slow – guess they had to see how much criticism the video would generate ?
July 8th, 2009 at 3:28 pmI am a young gay republican! Anyone hear have a problem with that? No one in my own party will talk with me :(
July 8th, 2009 at 5:38 pm