Source: https://www.scribd.com/document/105490831/Cliff-Stearns-R-FL-CREW-s-Most-Corrupt-Members-of-Congress
Timestamp: 2017-10-17 15:28:26
Document Index: 318242636

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 2635', '§ 2635', 'art 2', '§ 1301', '§ 1001', '§ 1001', '§ 1301']

Cliff Stearns (R-FL) - CREW's Most Corrupt Members of Congress | Earmark (Politics) | United States House Of Representatives
MOST CORRUPT: REPRESENTATIVE CLIFF STEARNS Representative Cliff Stearns (R-FL) is a twelve-term member of Congress, representing Florida’s 6th
congressional district. His ethics issues stem from (1) directing public money to benefit his wife; (2) misusing official resources for campaign activity; and (3) improperly using broadcast footage of official House proceedings in campaign materials. College of Central Florida The College of Central Florida (CCF), in Ocala, Florida is in Rep. Stearns’ district. 1 In 1997, CCF hired Rep. Stearns’ wife, Joan Stearns, to be the college’s school-to-work coordinator at a salary of $27,924. 2 She held that position for three years, sometimes receiving additional wages for supplemental tasks. 3 In June 2000, a month after Rep. Stearns “began working on obtaining” his first earmark for the college, Ms. Stearns started handling major gifts for the college. 4 In December 2000, two days before President Bill Clinton signed legislation containing Rep. Stearns’ earmark for CCF into law, the college announced Ms. Stearns’ position would become full time and her salary was increased to $52,000. 5 Ms. Stearns has since been promoted repeatedly and is now the vice president for institutional advancement and the chief executive officer of the College of Central Florida Foundation (CF Foundation), the college’s fundraising arm. 6 Her current salary is $110,226. 7 Ms. Stearns is in charge of all of the college’s fundraising activities and is the college’s primary liaison to Rep. Stearns’ office. 8 The college’s former president, Charles Dassance, confirmed Ms. Stearns dealt directly with Rep. Stearns’ office in order to obtain federal funding, and described her knowledge of Washington as “a valuable asset.” 9 The former president of the CF Foundation, Casius “Cash” Pealer, said he was a “spectator” watching Ms. Stearns obtain federal funds. 10
http://www.cf.edu/index.htm; http://stearns.house.gov/6th-district/. Bill Thompson, Oelrich Questions Stearns on CF Earmarks as Wife Rose at School, Ocala Star Banner, June 16, 2012. 3 Id. 4 Id. 5 Id. 6 Thompson, Ocala Star Banner, June 16, 2012; http://www.cf.edu/departments/admin/hr/staff.htm; http://www.cf.edu/foundation/about/about/?panel=1. 7 Thompson, Ocala Star Banner, June 16, 2012. 8 Id. 9 Id. 10 Id.
Since 2001, Rep. Stearns has secured 14 earmarks totaling $5,005,000 for CCF, 11 four of which were made in the 110th Congress or later. 12 The earmarks paid for a variety of expenses, from building and retrofitting college facilities to nursing and teacher training programs. 13 In contrast, Rep. Stearns earmarked only $1.46 million for the only other community college in his district, the Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida. 14 On June 16, 2012, the Ocala Star Banner published a detailed account of the earmarks and Ms. Stearns’ employment history, raising questions about whether her promotions were related to her ability to secure earmarks from her husband. 15 Rep. Stearns’ campaign posted a response on its website, saying the paper “published an erroneous timeline that failed to show the enormous increase in responsibilities that Mrs. Stearns was given with her increase in salary.” 16 The college’s current president, Dr. James D. Henningsen, said the earmarks actually were awarded through competitive grant processes and some had been jointly awarded to CCF, Santa Fe College, and the University of Florida. 17 According to Citizens Against Government Waste’s Congressional Pig Book and other earmark databases, however, the money earmarked by Rep. Stearns was specifically for CCF. 18 Dr. Henningsen also said Ms. Stearns’ promotions were based on merit. 19 Misuse of Congressional Staff for Campaign Activity Paul Flusche is Rep. Stearns’ press secretary, and has worked for Rep. Stearns’ congressional office since 1996. 20 His current annual salary is $77,000. 21 There is no record of Mr. Flusche working for Rep. Stearns’ campaign, and he has not been paid by Rep. Stearns’ campaign committee or political action committee. 22
Thompson, Ocala Star Banner, June 16, 2012; Citizens Against Government Waste, Congressional Pig Book, 2001-2006; http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/earmarks.php?cid=N00002782&cycle=2010; http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/earmarks.php?fy=FY09&cid=N00002782&cycle=2010; http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/earmarks.php?fy=FY08&cid=N00002782&cycle=2008. 12 See http://www.legistorm.com/earmarks/search/member/Stearns/member_state/9/location/Florida/year/all/commit /Search/page/3.html. 13 Id. 14 Id. 15 Thompson, Ocala Star Banner, June 16, 2012. 16 http://cliffstearns.net/oelrich-enlists-liberal-newspapers-in-baseless-attack-on-stearns-family/. 17 Jim D. Henningsen, Jim. D. Henningsen: Federal Awards Played No Role in Stearns’ Advancement, Ocala Star Banner, June 20, 2012. 18 Citizens Against Government Waste, Congressional Pig Book, 2001-2006; http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/earmarks.php?cid=N00002782&cycle=2010; http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/earmarks.php?fy=FY09&cid=N00002782&cycle=2010; http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/earmarks.php?fy=FY08&cid=N00002782&cycle=2008; http://www.legistorm.com/earmarks/details/organization/1538/College_of_Central_Florida/page/1/sort/amount/type/ desc.html; http://www.legistorm.com/earmark/58726.html. 19 Henningsen, Ocala Star Banner, June 20, 2012. 20 http://stearns.house.gov/contact/; http://www.legistorm.com/person/Paul_J_Flusche/20732.html; http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-flusche/33/692/23a. 21 http://www.legistorm.com/person/Paul_J_Flusche/20732.html. 22 Friends of Cliff Stearns, FEC Form 3, 2011-2012 Reports; The Spirit Fund, FEC Form 3X, 2011-2012 Reports.
Mr. Flusche has repeatedly acted as a campaign spokesperson since James Jett, the Clay County Clerk of Court, ran against Rep. Stearns in the Republican primary and accused the congressman of trying to bribe him to get out of the race. Ironically, Mr. Flusche, while paid by taxpayer dollars, criticized Mr. Jett for allegedly using public resources for campaign activity. 23 For example, on March 7, 2012, Mr. Flusche issued a statement to several newspapers, decrying Mr. Jett’s bribery allegations and arguing Mr. Jett’s charges were self-serving, unfounded and vindictive. 24 He also charged that by having phone conversations regarding the alleged bribe in his county office in front of county employees, Mr. Jett had violated the law. 25 On March 13, 2012, Mr. Flusche emailed a statement to the Florida Times-Union and released a statement to Environment and Energy Daily, stating, “While Rep. Cliff Stearns plans to campaign on his conservative record and his many accomplishments, his opponents, who can't match Stearns’ record or his accomplishments, are running negative campaigns based upon false allegations.” 26 On June 28, 2012, Mr. Flusche also issued a statement to the Florida Times-Union for an article about negative campaign ads. 27 “This campaign has been running positive TV and radio ads for weeks on Rep. Stearns’ rock-solid conservative record and will continue to do so,” he said. 28 He went on to defend Rep. Stearns’ campaign literature, saying “Pointing out that someone has a liberal voting record and holds liberal positions is not negative, just as pointing out Stearns’ conservative record is not negative.” 29 Improper Use of Broadcast Footage from the House of Representatives Rep. Stearns’ campaign maintains a website at http://cliffstearns.net/, where it publishes Rep. Stearns’ campaign videos. 30 The campaign website has posted seven different videos of Rep. Stearns speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives. 31 Six of the seven videos
John McArdle, One Stearns Foe Raises Money Off Bribery Allegations While Another Amplifies Accusations, Environment and Energy Daily, March 13, 2012; John Bresnahan, Cliff Stearns Denies Deal to Get Rid of Opponent, Politico, March 7, 2012; Adam Kealoha Causey, Clay Clerk Accuses U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns Of Trying To Buy Him Out of Race, Florida Times-Union, March 7, 2012; Shane Goldmacher, Primary Opponent of Rep. Stearns Alleges Bribe, National Journal, March 7, 2012; Bill Thompson, Stearns Opponent Accuses Congressman of Bribery, Gainesville Sun, March 7, 2012. 24 Bresnahan, Politico, Mar. 7, 2012; Kealoha Causey, Florida Times-Union, Mar. 7, 2012; Goldmacher, National Journal, Mar. 7, 2012; Thompson, Gainesville Sun, Mar. 7, 2012. 25 Goldmacher, National Journal, Mar. 7, 2012; Thompson, Gainesville Sun, Mar. 7, 2012. 26 Matt Dixon, Political Foe Focuses on Stearns Allegations; Oelrich, of Cross Creek, Raises Issue in Fundraising Email, Florida Times-Union, March 13, 2012; McArdle, Environment and Energy Daily, Mar. 13, 2012. 27 Matt Dixon, Oelrich, Stearns Running Negative Race in 3rd Congressional District? They Say No, Florida TimesUnion, June 28, 2012. 28 Id. 29 Id. 30 http://cliffstearns.net/category/videos/. 31 Id.; http://www.youtube.com/v/mKPwC562IoQ; http://www.youtube.com/v/wd6tcP94V5w; http://www.youtube.com/v/CegQ4Pf-w5Y; http://www.youtube.com/v/zsNjCfBD-XY; http://www.youtube.com/v/kPbtlV46_2M; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbEPvp--szE.
contain links to Rep. Stearns’ congressional website and to his official Twitter and Facebook accounts. 32 The campaign also maintains a YouTube Channel called “Friends of Cliff Stearns” that was set up by a user named “StearnsforCongress.” 33 Between February 13, 2012, and July 20, 2012, the campaign’s YouTube account posted six clips of Rep. Stearns speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives. 34 In addition to House floor proceedings, Rep. Stearns’ campaign website posted videos of Rep. Stearns speaking at House committee hearings. 35 Both videos contain links to Rep. Stearns’ congressional website and to his Twitter and Facebook accounts. 36 Finally, on December 12, 2011, the campaign’s YouTube channel posted a video of Rep. Stearns chairing a hearing about Medicare fraud and waste. 37 Alleged FBI Investigation On March 7, 2012, Rep. Stearns’ opponent in the Republican primary, James Jett, said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating Rep. Stearns for attempting to bribe Mr. Jett to drop out of the race. 38 Mr. Jett said that the FBI had recorded his phone conversations with two of the intermediaries involved and had wiretapped his phone. 39 In June 2012, Mr. Jett said the investigation was ongoing. 40 Mr. Jett said the FBI has “enough evidence to arrest two Stearns associates named in the sworn statement but that the investigation” would continue beyond the August primary. 41 Potential Violations Official Action for Personal Gain Members of the House are prohibited from “taking any official actions for the prospect of personal gain for themselves or anyone else.” 42 House members are directed to adhere to 5
http://www.youtube.com/v/mKPwC562IoQ; http://www.youtube.com/v/wd6tcP94V5w; http://www.youtube.com/v/CegQ4Pf-w5Y; http://www.youtube.com/v/zsNjCfBD-XY; http://www.youtube.com/v/kPbtlV46_2M; http://www.youtube.com/v/Qno2jTs68So. 33 http://www.youtube.com/user/StearnsforCongress?feature=plcp. 34 http://www.youtube.com/user/StearnsforCongress. 35 http://cliffstearns.net/category/videos/; http://www.youtube.com/v/LzpIiPogSaA; http://www.youtube.com/v/pLwTmSMyt50. 36 http://www.youtube.com/v/LzpIiPogSaA; http://www.youtube.com/v/pLwTmSMyt50. 37 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrD7MMX2INI&feature=plcp. 38 Kealoha Causey, Florida Times-Union, Mar. 7, 2012; Ryan J. Reilly, FBI Investigating Cliff Stearns For Bribery, Claims Republican Opponent, TPMMuckraker, March 7, 2012. 39 Id. 40 John McArdle, Campaign 2012: Integrity Questioned By Challenger, Rep. Stearns Launches First TV Ad in New Fla. District, Greenwire, June 12, 2012. 41 Id. 42 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, “Memorandum For All Members, Officers and Employees,” Prohibition Against Linking Official Actions to Partisan or Political Considerations, or Personal Gain, May 11, 1999.
C.F.R. § 2635.702(a), issued by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics for the Executive Branch, which provides: An employee shall not use or permit use of his Government position or title or any authority associated with his public office in a manner that is intended to coerce or induce another person . . . to provide any benefit, financial or otherwise, to himself or to friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity. By using his position as a member of Congress to award earmarks to his wife’s employer, Rep. Stearns appears to have violated 5 C.F.R. § 2635.702(a). Unfairly Discriminating By Dispensing Special Favors The Code of Ethics for Government Service provides that government officials should: Never discriminate unfairly by the dispensing of special favors or privileges to anyone, whether for remuneration or not; and never accept for himself or his family, favors or benefits under circumstances which might be construed by reasonable persons as influencing the performance of his official duties. 43 By funneling federal funds to his wife’s employer, the College of Central Florida, Rep. Stearns may have dispensed special privileges in violation of the Code of Ethics for Government Service. Failure to Disclose Financial Interest in Earmark At the beginning of the 110th Congress, the House included a new provision in the Code of Official Conduct requiring members of Congress who request earmarks or limited tax benefits to provide certain information regarding the request and its purpose to the committee of jurisdiction, including a certification that neither the member nor the member’s spouse has a financial interest in the provision. 44 A financial interest exists in an earmark “when it would be reasonable to conclude that the provision would have a direct and foreseeable effect on the pecuniary interests of the Member or the Member’s spouse.” 45 A financial interest may also derive from a “salary,” “job offer,” or “similar interest.” 46 Rep. Stearns submitted four earmark requests for the College of Central Florida after the rules change that prohibited members from making requests for earmarks in which they have a
72 Stat., Part 2, B12, H. Con. Res. 175, 85th Cong. (adopted July 11, 1958); House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, House Ethics Manual, p. 20 (110th Cong., 2d Sess., 2008 ed.). 44 Rule 23, cl. 17; House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, Financial Interests Under the New Earmark Rules, March 27, 2007. 45 Id. 46 Id.
financial interest. 47 As Ms. Stearns’ responsibilities include raising money for the college and she is the primary liaison to Rep. Stearns’ office, her CCF salary constitutes a financial interest in the CCF earmarks. Therefore, any certifications Rep. Stearns submitted declaring neither he nor his spouse had a financial interest in the CCF earmarks likely would have been false and violated House rules. False Statements Federal law prohibits anyone from making “any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation” 48 on a “document required by law, rule, or regulation to be submitted to the Congress or any office or officer within the legislative branch.” 49 If, as it appears, Rep. Stearns certified to House Appropriations Committee that neither he nor his wife had a financial interest in the earmarks he sought for CCF at a time his wife was receiving a salary from CCF, he likely made false statements in violation of federal law. Improper Use of Appropriated Funds Pursuant to 31 U.S.C. § 1301(a), “[a]ppropriations shall be applied only to the objects for which the appropriations were made.” Corresponding regulations of the Committee on House Administration provide that “[e]mployees may not be compensated from public funds to perform non-official, personal, political, or campaign activities on behalf of the Member, the employee, or anyone else.” 50 House ethics rules also make clear that “[e]mployees of the House are paid from funds of the United States Treasury to perform public duties” that expressly “do not include performing nonofficial, personal, or campaign duties.” 51 In addition, Rule 23, clause 8 provides: A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, or officer of the House may not retain an employee who does not perform duties for the offices of the employing authority commensurate with the compensation he receives. According to the Campaign Booklet published by the House Ethics Committee, there is a “basic principle that government funds should not be spent to help incumbents gain reelection.” 52 The official allowance of House offices, and the goods and services acquired with those allowances, are to be used for House business and are not to be used for campaign or
See http://www.legistorm.com/earmarks/search/member/Stearns/member_state/9/location/Florida/year/all/ commit/Search/page/3.html. 48 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2). 49 18 U.S.C. § 1001(c)(1). 50 Committee on House Administration, Members’ Handbook, Staff. 51 House Ethics Manual, pp. 267-268, citing United States v. Rostenkowski, 59 F.3d 1291, 1307-11 (D.C. Cir. 1995), reh’g denied, 68 F.3d 489 (D.C. Cir. 1995); United States v. Diggs, 613 F.2d 988, 994-997, 1002 (D.C. Cir. 1979), cert. denied, 446 U.S. 982 (1980). 52 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, General Prohibition Against Using Official Resources for Campaign or Political Purposes, Campaign Booklet (citing Common Cause v. Bolger, 574 F. Supp. 672, 683 (D.D.C. 1982), aff’d, 461 U.S. 911 (1983)).
political purposes. 53 The Campaign Booklet clearly states that House offices, including district offices, are supported with official funds and, therefore, are considered official resources. 54 As a result, they may not be used to conduct campaign or political activities. 55 House ethics rules specifically prohibit a member’s press secretary from initiating any communication that is campaign related or providing an interview that is “substantially devoted” to the campaign. 56 While a press secretary may answer “occasional questions about political matters” and may respond to questions that are “merely incidental” to an interview focused on a member’s official activities, more substantial contacts about political matters must take place outside of the congressional office and on the press secretary’s own time. 57 The Campaign Booklet provides two cases, one in which a member was criminally prosecuted and another in which a staffer was criminally prosecuted, for misusing official resources. In 1993, a former House employee pleaded guilty to a charge of theft of government property after he was found doing campaign work at a time that he claimed he was conducting official business. 58 In 1979, a former member pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud and income tax evasion in a case centering on claims that individuals on the congressional payroll were paid not for the performance of official duties, but instead for staffing and operating various campaign headquarters in the member’s re-election campaign. 59 If Rep. Stearns allowed Mr. Flusche to engage in campaign business during regular business hours, including sending emails to or calling reporters, Rep. Stearns likely violated 31 U.S.C. § 1301(a), House ethics rules, and the regulations of the Committee on House Administration. Using Video of House Proceedings for Political Purpose House Rule 5, clause 2(c)(1) states, “Broadcast coverage and recordings of House floor proceedings may not be used for any political purpose.” In addition, House Rule 11, clause 4(b) provides, “radio and television tapes and film of any coverage of House committee proceedings may not be used, or made available for use, as partisan political campaign material to promote or oppose the candidacy of any person for public office.” 60 By repeatedly using video of his statements both during committee hearings and on the House floor to promote his candidacy for Congress, Rep. Stearns violated House rules.
Campaign Booklet. Id. 55 Id. 56 House Ethics Manual, p. 133. 57 Id. 58 Campaign Booklet (citing United States v. Bresnahan, Criminal No. 93-0409 (D.D.C. 1993)). 59 Campaign Booklet (citing United States v. Clark, Criminal No. 78-207 (W.D. Pa. 1978)). 60 House Ethics Manual, p. 128.
Conduct Not Reflecting Creditably on the House House Rule 23 requires all members of the House to conduct themselves “at all times in a manner that reflects creditably on the House.” 61 This ethics standard is considered to be “the most comprehensive provision” of the code. 62 When this section was first adopted, the Select Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the 90th Congress noted it was included within the Code to deal with “flagrant” violations of the law that reflect on “Congress as a whole,” and that might otherwise go unpunished. 63 This rule has been relied on by the committee in numerous prior cases in which the committee found unethical conduct including: the failure to report campaign contributions, 64 making false statements to the committee, 65 criminal convictions for bribery, 66 or accepting illegal gratuities, 67 and accepting gifts from persons with interest in legislation in violation of the gift rule. 68 If Rep. Stearns used his legislative position for his wife’s financial benefit, certified that his spouse had no financial interest in an earmark when, in fact, she had such an interest, used appropriated funds for campaign purposes, and/or improperly used video of House committee or floor proceedings for campaign purposes, he may have acted in a manner that does not reflect creditably on the House.
Rule 23, cl. 1. House Ethics Manual, p. 12. 63 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, Report Under the Authority of H. Res. 418, H. Rep. No. 1176, 90th Cong., 2d Sess. 17 (1968). 64 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, In the Matter of Representative John J. McFall, H. Rep. No. 951742, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. 2-3 (1978) (Count 1); In the Matter of Representative Edward R. Roybal, H. Rep. No. 95-1743, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. 2-3 (1978). 65 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, In the Matter of Representative Charles H. Wilson (of California), H. Rep. No. 95-1741, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. 4-5 (1978); H. Rep. No. 95-1743 (Counts 3-4). 66 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, In the Matter of Representative Michael J. Myers, H. Rep. No. 96-1387, 96th Cong., 2d Sess. 2, 5 (1980); see 126 Cong. Rec. 28953-78 (Oct. 2, 1980) (debate and vote of expulsion); In the Matter of Representative John W. Jenrette, Jr., H. Rep. No. 96-1537, 96th Cong., 2d Sess. 4 (1980) (member resigned); In the Matter of Representative Raymond F. Lederer, H. Rep. No. 97-110, 97th Cong., 1st Sess. 4, 16-17 (1981) (member resigned after Committee recommended expulsion). In another case, the Committee issued a Statement of Alleged Violation concerning bribery and perjury, but took no further action when the member resigned (In the Matter of Representative Daniel J. Flood, H. Rep. No. 96-856, 96th Cong., 2d Sess. 416, 125-126 (1980)). 67 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, In the Matter of Representative Mario Biaggi, H. Rep. No. 100506, 100th Cong., 2d Sess. 7, 9 (1988) (member resigned while expulsion resolution was pending). 68 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, In the Matter of Representative Charles H. Wilson (of California), H. Rep. No. 96-930, 96th Cong. 2d Sess. 4-5 (1980); see 126 Cong. Rec. 13801-20 (June 10, 1980) (debate and vote of censure).
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