Ford also appointed 11 judges to the United States Courts of Appeals, and 50 judges to the United States district courts. The 1974 congressional midterm elections took place less than three months after Ford assumed office. The 1974 congressional midterm elections took place less than three months after Ford assumed office. The Democratic Party turned voter dissatisfaction into large gains in the House of Representatives elections, taking 49 seats from the Republican Party, increasing their majority to 291 of the 435 seats. Even Ford's former House seat was won by a Democrat. The Rockefeller Commission's report, submitted in June 1975, generally defended the CIA, although it did note that 'the CIA has engaged in some activities that should be criticized and not permitted to happen again.' The press strongly criticized the commission for failing to include a section on the CIA's assassination plots. The Senate created its own committee, led by Senator Frank Church, to investigate CIA abuses.