Transcript
EXHIBIT A
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T
TIMES
ContrZ!Costa'fime&.com
Former staffer:
Interviewed by Feds
while working for Rep.
Richardson
By Paul Eakins, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/14/201111:55:18 AM PDT
Updated: 03/15/2011 04:05:30 PM PDT
LONG BEACH -Members of Rep. Laura Richardson's
staff were required to work on her campaign and are
being interviewed in an apparent ethics
investigation, a former staffer says.
In an exclusive interview with the Press-Telegram,
Maria Angel Macias, the Long Beach Democratic
congresswoman's former district scheduler, said
Monday that staff members were required to
"volunteer" their time on Richardson's re-election
campaign last year and that she scheduled
Richardson's campaign events while on the taxpayer
dime.
Richardson's spokesman, Communications Director
Ray Zaccaro, maintained Monday what Richardson
said in November when the ethics investigation
question was previously raised - that there have
been ethics interviews, but that there "is not an
investigation."
"No employee in this office has ever been required
to perform any work on the campaign," Zaccaro said
via e-mail.
Macias said that Richardson often told her to call
staff members outside office hours to make them
work at campaign events.
"She would just ask me to call them and tell them to
come to the campaign office," Macias said. "She
would ask me to schedule people (staff members
and drivers to accompany Richardson) for campaign
fundraisers for other elected officials."
In a resignation letter dated March 3 to Richardson
that had been previously obtained by the Press-
Telegram and was first reported by Politico.com,
http ://www.contracostatimes.com/fdcp?unique= 1308690978:
Macias explains her reason for leaving the job: "On
more than one occasion I was asked to do a task or
coordinate an event that was on the ethical
borderline and not in my job description; things
that I was never properly trained on or warned
about, and later caused me to be deposed by an
ethics investigator with a lawyer present."
Under federal law, congressional staff members may
work on campaigns outside of regular work
schedules when they aren't on the taxpayer dollar.
Zaccaro also noted that House ethics rules permit
congressional schedulers to coordinate with
campaign schedulers.
Ethics Committee staff members have repeatedly
refused to confirm or deny whether they are
investigating Richardson, as is their policy. If
Richardson is under investigation, this would mark
the second time in her three years in office.
The committee began an ethics investigation in mid-
2009 into the circumstances surrounding the
foreclosure of Richardson's Sacramento home,
which was seized by the bank and sold at auction,
but which she later was able to recover. Last July the
committee cleared Richardson of any wrongdoing.
Macias had worked part-time for Richardson in her
Long Beach office since June until she was m ~ d e a
full-time employee and took over local scheduling
Oct. 1, she said. She had worked for Richardson
from 2005 to 2007 when Richardson was on the
Long Beach City Council, Macias said.
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She said it wasn't until she was interviewed by an
Ethics Committee investigator in November that she
learned that some of her actions while on the
congressional office's clock might be unethical.
Macias said that several other members of
Richardson's staff were interviewed as well and that
the congresswoman provided an attorney for staff
members during the interviews.
Macias said the investigation seemed to center on
Richardson's deputy district director, Daysha
Austin.
"He wants to know if Daysha was being paid from
her government job while doing campaign stuff,"
Macias said. "I think that's the main thing that he's
investigating."
She noted that last fall, when Richardson faced re-
election Nov. 2, Austin would say that she "was in
the field" most days, but "everybody knew" that she
was at Richardson's campaign office. Austin would
typically only spend part of a day each week in the
Long Beach office, Macias said.
Richardson was overwhelmingly re-elected to
represent the 37th District, which includes most of
Long Beach, Compton, Carson, Signal Hill and parts
of Los Angeles.
Macias recalled other incidents, such as when
Richardson once forced a staff member to drive her
to a campaign event in Pasadena, even though she
didn't want to, and when Macias was directed to find
out why Richardson's new home television had
arrived broken - a time-consuming endeavor that
took most of a week.
Staff members often had little time for their families
because they had to attend campaign functions, she
said.
"They would be so upset, 'We need some time with
our family,"' Macias recalled her co-workers saying.
"And she (Richardson) would get so upset. 'Get
them on the phone, let me talk to them,' (Richardson
responded.)"
Macias added: "She makes you feel like she owns
you."
[email protected], 562-499-1278
s
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EXHIBIT B
March 3, 2011
Congresswoman Laura Richardson
100 W. Broadway, Suite 600
Long Beach, CA 90802
RE: LETTER OF RESIGNATION
Congresswoman Richardson:
I v\Tite this letter to announce my resignation from the position of Scheduler/Special Events
Assistant for the 37th Congressional District staff. I realize that the customary professional
comtesy is to give two weeks notice, but I can no longer work under the constant verbal and
emotional abuse that I have been subjected to these past few months, so I am resigning effective
immediately. To be clear, my last day in the District Office \Vas Friday, February 25,2011, after
which my doctor recommended I take time off. I have been out since Monday, February 28, and
effective today, Thursday, March 3, 2011, I will not be returning to work in the CD-37 Office.
I regret that a drastic step like this had to be taken. I started this job working part time and with a
heart full of joy to give my colleagues and the constituents. I came in detem1ined to \Vorlc hard
and contribute in every way that I could to boost your image, increase work and
raise the morale of this office, while being the best co-worker that I could possibly be to my
colleagues. l later took on the position of Scheduler at your request, apparently having done a
good job up to that point. But my stress levels have now risen to very unhealthy, if not dangerous
levels as a result of the repeated emotional abuse and constant conflict over the past fe>v months.
When you and Daysha recruited me to work with you for a second time l was led to believe that
some of the problems of the past - such as the disrespectful way of talking to staff, the lack of
regard for family time or personal time off for staff, and the thankless, unappreciative attitude
that staff are met with no matter how hard we work, had improved since I last worked for you. It
is clear to me now that this was not true.
I am also hurt because on more than one occasion I was asked to do a task or coordinate an event
that was on the ethical borderline and not in my job description; things that I was never properly
trained on or warned about, and later caused me to be deposed by an ethics investigator with a
lav.yer present. Meanwhile, promises for vacation time to attend Mama Frances's 80
1
h Birthday
have been broken, and whenever 1 make even a verv minor mistake it is treated like a federal
crime. I cannot work in a toxic and hostile like this, which is why I resign today.
I will be coming in to collect my things and to give my keys and Congressional property to
Daysha or Eric in the next few days. I gave you an.d this job my 100% effort my whole time
here and I leave \Vith a
1
clear conscience.
i I
·1aria Angel Mtas
RETURN TO WORK I SCHOOL
lthCa rtners.
· Medkal Group and Mfi!i<1ted Physrdam;
DATE:
PATIENT NAME:
HCP Site;---------------------------
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
THE ABOVE PATIENT IS UNDER MY CARE AND:
PLEASE EXCUSE FROM WORKJSCHOOL FROM ____ ··, MAY RETURN TO
WORK/SCHOOL
0 HAS RECOVERED AND MAY RETURN TO LIGHT WORK ON:
0 HAS RECOVERED AND fv1AY RETURN TO WORK/SCHOOL ON: ____
n
0
0
"
u
REQUIRES A MEDICAL LEIWE OF ABSENCE FROM: _ ----------------- ________ TO __
IS RESTRICTED FROM: ---···------·-··-·--···--
RECEIVED TREATMENT AT MY OFFICES ON:
. ------------- --------------------- UNT!l _______________ _
DATE
IS SCHEDULED TO RETURN ON: -----------------------AT----------- ___
REMARKS:
___,,,'
MGO-CUN-004 W02) CHART COPY (WHITE)
---------------------·---------------·
PROVIDER SIGNATURE
PATIENTS COPY (CANAfW)
Los Angeles Wave I The Soulvine: Calling all cars I
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Los Angeles Wave
Print this article
The Soulvin.e: Calling all cars
Originally printed at http:/ jwww.wavenewspapers.comjopinion/90163122.html
By BETTY PLEASANT, Contributing Editor
April 7, 2010
A crime may be occurring and the possible perpetrator is running amongst us, trying to
divert our attention from possible unlawful acts so we can re-elect her to Congress. On
the face of it, Rep. Laura Richardson may very well be violating the Hatch Act -
that law which forbids federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity;
that law which forbids the staff of federal officials from working to affect their bosses'
re-election or election to another office; that law which makes it necessary for federal
elected officials to hire, at their own expense, campaign consultants to handle
everything involving their political aspirations, from soup to nuts.
Richardson is running for re-election this year in the 37th Congressional District.
Among her staff of federally paid employees is Eric Boyd, her district director, and
Ken Miller, her press deputy I communications director or what-have-you. In her
absence, Boyd was the congresswoman's stand-in at the Gardena Valley Democratic
Club's endorsement meeting last month where his sole task was to convince the club to
support his boss' bid for re-election. He's not supposed to do that. His job is to
supervise the delivery of federal services throughout Richardson's congressional
district and she is supposed to hire somebody else to tout her candidacy.
I have ignored Miller's feverish attempts to have me interview Richardson because all
of my questions to her would have been harsh and would have reflected the stream of
really unfavorable information about her coming from her staff, her constituents and
other elected officials. For example, I was informed of Richardson's commandeering of
the county's emergency helicopters as sightseeing vehicles for her entire staff long
before my colleague Steve Lopez reported it in The Times. I chose not to write about
it because I was embarrassed by her lapse in judgment.
Any interview I would have had with Richardson would have had to include that
joy-flying thing plus several other issues that do not bode well for the congresswoman.
But the persistent Miller got beside himself and e-mailed me a press release he had
written April1 enthusing about how his boss was "the big winner" at the Democratic
Pre-Endorsement Conference in South Gate. He went on to detail how Richardson had
trounced her challenger, Peter Mathews, and he threw in a few quotes from the
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congresswoman, talking about how she's so "honored" and "thankful," and blah blah
blah. It was a good little piece. The only problem, however, is that Miller can't write it
and he can't e-mail it to me!! It's against the law for him to do so. Richardson has to
keep her regular employees completely away from her election campaigns. She has to
hire somebody else to write and distribute her political propaganda. All politicians
know that and she knows it, as well.
I don't think she cares though, because for some time now I've been getting complaints
and comments from Richardson's defected former employees (of which there are
many) and other elected officials that she forces her staff to work on her political
campaigns under threats of dismissal. I never raised the issue before because, frankly, I
didn't think it was that important. But now I see where such complaints could be
pervasive, given that Richardson was a Long Beach City Council member when she ran
for the Assembly and was an Assembly member when she ran for Congress. She's
always had a government-paid staff at her command whenever her name appeared on a
ballot. I'll have to go back and pay more attention to what these people are saying
because what they're saying to me is showing up in Steve's column, not mine, and I'm
not liking that. (I must be getting soft in my old age.)
A RECONSIDERATION - The Los Angeles City Council is not a bunch of
(scatological terms); they are awesome!!! The body is standing up like people \vith
(different scatological terms) and telling the DWP what it can do with its rate increase.
The council members are on our side, for a change, and are telling the mayor and his
DWP that they are not the boss of them -that the council is the boss of them! I love it
so much. It feels good to have our elected officials fight for us, rather than against us.
Stand firm, council; take it to the brink. We got your back- as long as you have ours!!
INGLEWOOD REPORT- Inglewood's newly rehired chieffinancial officer, Jeff
Muir, suddenly resigned Tuesday. You might recall that Muir was the underqualified
fiscal person who popped into and out of the city's administrative office at will and who
was pegged by Councilwoman Judy Dunlap to become the chief administrative
officer after she engineered the firing of Timothy Wanamaker, Well, they offered
Wanamaker's job to Muir Tuesday morning and he said, "Hell, No!" and quit.
Speaking of Dunlap, I was doing some light reading the other day of Dunlap's state-
mandated campaign finance filings (Form 460) over the past couple of years, as I was
trying to determine from whence cometh her campaign contributions, and I noted a
couple of interesting things. First of all, her contributions from people who reside in or
do business in Inglewood are extremely scarce. The overwhelming bulk of her
contributions come from San Francisco, Sacramento, Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles,
Orange County, etc. People and companies in these far flung places are giving her
thousands and thousands of dollars to run for city council and mayor of Inglewood,
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while a mere handful ofinglewood residents have given her $100 to $150 each.
Another thing which struck me as odd about Dunlap's financial filings is the fact that
she reported to have paid $49,484.93 to Addra Service Inc. in Inglewood for campaign
literature during the period of Jan. 1, 2008 and June 30, 2008. There was no campaign
in 2008. The Rev. Roosevelt Dorn had already been re-elected mayor in 2007 and
Dunlap's re-election campaign was waged in 2009. So why did she need to buy
$49,484.93 worth of campaign literature from Addra in the middle of 2008? Did she
pocket that money? I don't know. I'm just reading.
DATEBOOK - Sheriff Lee Baca will lead a panel discussion on "The Crib to the
Penitentiary Pipeline" at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Junior Blind of America's facilities at
5300 Angeles Vista Blvd. The event is hosted by Great Beginnings for Black Babies
which seeks to examine racial profiling and predictions for the future of Black babies.
The Paul Robeson Community Center, vdll celebrate the 112th birthday oflegendary
athlete, singer, actor and civil rights groundbreaker Paul Robeson on Sunday with a
musical program featuring opera virtuoso KB Solomon in the Little Theater at L.A.
Southwest College, 1600 Imperial Hwy. beginning at 3 p.m.
AND FINALLY- What's this I keep hearing about Nazis coming to L.A.?! I heard
that the NSM (whatever that means) is a group of openly racist Nazis which plans to
hold a rally on the South Lawn of the City Hall at noon on April17. Anti-Nazis are
being summoned to gather at the Triforium statue at Temple and Main at 10 a.m. to
form a picket line around the City Hall and yell at the Nazis. This had better be true
because I don't appreciate giving up my Saturday morning to go cuss out Nazis and
Nazis don't show up. (If it's true, it's gonna be good, yeah!)
6/21/2011 5:34
EXHIBIT D
Los Angeles Wave I The Soulvine: Harsh taskmistress? I
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Los Angeles Wave
Print this article
The Soulvine: Harsh taskmistress?
Originally printed at http :j jwww. wavenewspapers. com/ opinion/The-Soulvine-H arsh-taskmistress-
107133233.html
By BETTY PLEASANT, Contributing Editor
November 10, 2010
Widely circulated criticism of 37th District Rep. Laura Richardson's management
style - some going back to when she was on the Long Beach City Council - are coming
to a head now, as the House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into
complaints filed in September by several of her district and Washington, D.C., staff
members accusing her of employee abuse and misuse.
Richardson is reputed to have one of the highest - if not the highest - turnover of
employees in the House of Representatives. This year alone, seven staffers have left her
employ. Three were terminated, Terry Valdez, Teng Fang and Lala something, as
Richardson's staff has been forbidden to give me her last name. The others left on their
own accord, including her D.C. communications deputy, Jeffrey Billington, who
departed the Richardson gulag just the other day.
Clifford Stoddard, an investigator for the House Committee on Standards of Official
Conduct [Ethics Committee] interviewed the employees in Richardson's Long Beach
office a couple of weeks ago. I called Stoddard in Washington seeking information
about his investigation and he told me: "I can't talk about it. I am legally forbidden to
discuss this with you because what we do is not public."
I asked him if he could confirm or deny that he is investigating Richardson. "I can not,"
he said. Granted, Richardson's staff and I have been discussing their formal complaints
and issues since Oct. 8, but I still needed confirmation that the U.S. House of
Representatives is taking them seriously. Toward that end, I spoke with Richardson
Tuesday and the first thing out of her mouth was: "There is no ethics investigation.
They just had somebody interviewing my staff."
That is confirmation. On Wednesday, I received a copy of a confidential e-mail sent to
Richardson's staff in mid-October from the U.S. House Committee on Standards of
Official Conduct. The e-mail is captioned: "Investigation of Certain Allegations Related
to Campaign Activities." The e-mail goes on to state: "Pursuant to rule 18(a), the
committee has authorized counsel to conduct interviews, collect records and other
documentation ... " So, despite Richardson's denial and Stoddard's zipped lip, I think it's
safe to say, yeah, she's being investigated.
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Richardson's district employees told me that they told Stoddard the congresswoman is
abusive, cusses them out, intimidates them, forces them, under threat of termination,
to work her re-election campaign each weekday evening from 6 to 9 p.m. and all day on
the weekends from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. This is on top of their normal working hours which
end at 6 p.m. People in her D.C. office complained to the Ethics Committee about a
fundraiser Richardson held for which she could not afford to hire people to serve, so
she forced her staff to serve at the event. Richardson told me her staffers volunteered
for such extra work.
I asked if she forced them to volunteer. "No, I did not force them to volunteer," she
answered. She further stated: "I am an extremely hard worker and I expect the people I
work with to work hard, too. Not everybody wants to work hard." She said this whole
"non-investigation" resulted from the Soulvine column I wrote sometime ago
questioning whether Richardson's involvement of Ken Miller, her press deputy, and
Eric Boyd, her district director, in her re-election campaign activities was a violation
of the Hatch Act, as well as a complaint filed by one disgruntled member of her D.C.
staff.
"That's what this is all about," the congresswoman asserted. Richardson's staff
admitted that Stoddard had the Soulvine column and began his questioning with its
contents, but they said their responses led to full disclosures of what life as a Laura
Richardson employee is really like.
"I told him how abusive the congresswoman is and how she intimidates and coerces
employees into doing whatever she sees fit, even it means breaking the law," one staffer
said. "For our interviews with Stoddard, the congresswoman offered us the services of
an attorney that she would pay for," the staffer continued. "But we didn't use him
because we figured she'd renege on paying him and we'd be stuck with the legal bill.
And besides, we didn't do anything wrong. We didn't need an attorney- she did," the
staffer said.
A couple of months ago, one of Richardson's House colleagues told me that House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Richardson into her office and chewed her out about her
behavior. Pelosi allegedly instructed Richardson to get her stuff together, clean up her
act and stay out of the newspapers because her antics were making the whole
Democratic Party look bad. I asked Richardson if such a meeting had been held
between her and Pelosi.
She said no. "Such a meeting never occurred. She never spoke to me about that. After
all, she's the speaker and she doesn't do that kind of thing."
Late Tuesday night, I received a call from Congresswoman-elect Karen Bass, whom
Richardson had obviously enlisted to persuade me not to write this column, knowing
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how close Bass and I are. After I finished yelling and screaming about the audacity of
such a call, the first words out of Bass' mouth was: "There is no investigation." I heaved
a sigh and said: "If not, then why did an Ethics Committee person interview Laura's
staff?"
Bass was audibly surprised by this information and asked, "They interviewed her
staff?" I said, "Yeah, but she didn't tell you that, did she?" Then Bass proceeded to tell
me how well Richardson is regarded in Congress and ofher great deeds in Washington,
etc. etc. etc. Then I asked: "If she's so well regarded in Congress, why did Pelosi
summon her to her office and read her the riot act about her behavior?" Then Bass
said: "Well after that, she got better!" I rest my case.
There is a lot more and worse stuff being alleged against Richardson which I can't go
into right now but I will discuss it as this investigation proceeds and as I get more
people to speak on the record. But I did promise Richardson that I would include here
today one complete statement from her. Here it is: "I have quite a few staff members
working for me over 10 years [namely, Daysha Austin, whom the other staffers
detest] and I think they would tell you that I take care of the people who work for me.
We work very hard."
6/21/20 11 5 :22 I
EXHIBIT E
Please Join Speaker Nancy Pelosi for
Congresswoman Laura Richardson's (D-CA 37th)
1st Ever Democratic Idol Fund raiser
Featuring Members of Congress Performing LIVE!
Don't miss the best event to end the quarter!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Old Jones Day Building - Rooftop Meeting Room
51 Louisiana Avenue, NW--- Washington, DC 20001
Requested Contribution:
$5,000 Platinum- $2,500 Gold- $1,000 Silver- $500 Individual
Please make checks payable and mail to:
"Laura Richardson for Congress"
P.O. Box 75214- Washington, DC 20013
RSVP to Danielle Neville at 202-347-3042 or
[email protected]
IPaid for and authorized by Laura Richardson for Congress!
Contnbut1ons or gifts to Laura Richardson for Congress are not tax deductible. We may accept contributions from an individual totaling up to $2,400 per
election; $4.800 per election cycle. Federal PAC's may contribute up to $5,000 per election; $10,000 per cycle. Federal law prohibits contributions to the
campaign from corporations, labor organizations and national banks; from any person contributing another person's funds: from foreign nationals who lack
permanent resident status; from federal government contractors.
Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation and name of employer of individuals w11ose
contributions exceed $200 in an election cycle.
EXHIBIT F
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Cooks, Shirley
Monday, September 27, 2010 6:04PM
CA37-dc
Wednesday at 5:00 pm
All staff are required to attend Ms Richardson's event Bring spouses and tell interns they have to be there as well.
Thanks
Sent using BlackBerry
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
daysha 7
[email protected]
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 6:43 PM
Cooks, Shirley; Dennis, Jakki; Billington, Jeffrey; Woodward, Lucinda; Berry, Gregory; Aho,
Loren; Maginnis, Thorne
Rep. Richardson's Democratic Idol
The Congresswoman is asking all staff that has one to wear their staff shirt to tomorrow's event so we can be visible and
easily identified.
Thank you for you cooperation and assistance.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
EXHIBIT H
EXHIBIT I
From: Cooks, Shirley
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 10:31 AM
To:
Subject: Re: Question
Yes. Will you tell him to meet you there too, please.
Sent using BlackBerry
----- Original Message-----
Frorr·
To: Cooks, Shirley
Sent: Wed Sep 29 10:19:15 2010
Subject: R.E: Question
rnv friend 1vho took the pies at her Sisterhood Event last year will do it f o r ~ '
--·----Original Message- ---
From: Cooks, Shirley
Sent: Vl!ednesday,
To:
Subject: Re:
Thanks
Sent using BlackBerry
----- Original Message ·----
From·
To: Cooks, Shirley
Sent: Wed Sep 29 10:11:22 2010
Subject: RE: Question
2010 10:1S A!l/l
1 have one person I can ask, let me see if he is available.
-----Original Message-----
From: Cooks, Shirley
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 10:11 AM
Tc
Subject: Re: Question
Ok. The campaign will pay. Rush to get someone please.
Sent using BlackBerry
should I go ahead and te!l hin;
----- Original Message -----
From:·
To: Cooks, Shirley
Sent: Wed Sep 29 10:09:412010
Subject: RE: Question
I don't know of anyone who would do it as a favor, only those that do it for money, especially at this late of notice.
-----Original Message-----
From: Cooks, Shirley
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 10:08 AM
To:.
Subject: Re: Question
Calm down. Who do you know up there who could substitute'? Someone in another office maybe who would do it as a
favor?
----- Original
f-=mm:
To: Shirlev
Sent: Wed Sep 29 10:02:57 2010
Subject: RE: Question
Shirley,
Daysha Just toid me I'll be otos at the event tonight. 1 explained to her i would be leaving and she ignored
me. If this is not somehow rectified I am to render my resignation effective irnmediately. ! am completely
serious about this. In addition, for your information, 1 wi!l be taking action against this office through House leadership i1
1 am forced to go this route.
-----Original IViessage-.--·-
Frorn: Cooks, Shirley
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 8:49 J\f\ll
To: Austin, Daysha;
Subject: Fw: Question
David is not available.
Sent using BlackBerry
-----Original Message-----
From: Sims, David
To: Cooks, Shirley
Sent: Wed Sep 29 08:24:29 2010
Subject: Re: Question
No. @ doctor with aidan.
----- Original Message -----
From: Cooks, Shirley
To: Sims, David
Sent: Tue Sep 28 23:28:00 2010
Subject: Question
Are you available tomorrow at 5:30 to 7:30ish to cover an event at jones day that includes Pelosi/clyburn and ten more
members in a talent show. Call Jakki Dennis 202-445-9958 if she is not at her desk tomorrow morning. Thanks
Sent using BlackBerry
3
EXHIBIT J
From: Rogers, Henry
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 7:33PM
To:
Subject:
Attachments:
FW: CA State Democratic Party Endorsement on 3/20
SpeakerReport.11 OthCongress.Accomplishments.doc; CLR.ProjectSmartVote.Feb201 O.doc
From: Richard, Lucinda
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 9:14AM
To: Rogers, Henry; Boyd, Eric
Cc: Cooks, Shirley
Subject: C/1 State Democratic Party Endorsement on 3/20
Hi Henry and Eric,
CLH has an event this Satu ing the lines of "California Den1 Party Endorsement"; and she asked stati tc
prepare a binder for her. She needs a lot of the same inforrnation that she needed for her last endorsement event (was
itS I was hoping you could com 3 binder again using the same materials irot!l last weekend.
Please add additional tabs ior the two docurnents I've attached to this email. i will probably send you some healthcarE:'
materia is later in the vveek, too. I figure it's better to start on this stuff early so we;re not all scrambling Friday night to
get it done.
Thanks for all your heip!
0
'Lucinda
Lucinda Richard
Legislative Assistant
Representative Laura Richardson (CA37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
(202) 225-7924
Please consider the environment before printing this e-maiL
From: Woodward, Lucinda
Sent: Friday, October01, 201012:18 PM
To:
Subject: FW: Memo: Campaign Leave Request
Lucinda Woodward
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (Ct\-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225 7924 (p)
from: Cooks,
Sent: Friday, October 01
1
2010 12:17 PfVJ
"lo: fViaginnis
1
• WoodwarcJ
1
Lucinda
FW: IYlerno: Leave Request
From::
[email protected] [malito:
[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, October 01, 2010 12:22 PfVi
To: Cooks, Shirley
Re: f
1
1emo: campaign Leave Request
I am disturbed l never authorized any staff to communicate to
staffto consider a specific seaL Those are my decisions. The direction was
to go and do \Vhat he has done
Sent from rny Verizon Wireless BlackBeny
F'rom: "Cooks, Shirley"
Date: Fri, 1 Oct 2010 12:10:00 -0400
never authorized
someone was interested to see me
To: '[email protected]'
Sub.iect: FV/: Memo: Campaign Leave Request
CLF.-
In our last staff meeting in Washington, in which you were engaged, you indicated to staff that you would encourage
their volunteering for tough races through the DCCC mechanism. Attached is Thorn's request to volunteer in a hard
race in TN (Tanner's seat). Please advise. I think it would be good for Thorne to have the experience. He's never had the
opportunity to do campaign related work before.
From: Maginnis, Thorne
Sent: Friday, October Ol, 2010 11:17 AJVI
To: Cooks, Shirley
'""''""""'"'"" Memo: Campaign Leave Request
1
Shirley,
Attached is the memo requesting leave to volunteer on the 2010 midterm elections.
Thorne Maginnis
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
(202) 225-7924
2
From:
Sent:
To:
Sub.iect:
Sent using BlackBerry
Cooks, Shirley
Wednesday, September 30, 2009 9:15AM
CA37-dc
On an errand for CLR. Will arrive shortly
EXHIBIT M
From: Peng,Seng
Sent:
To:
Thursday, September 24, 2009 3:49PM
CA37-dc
Subject:
SengH Peng
Staff Assistant
ot cleaners + Lawanda
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7924
(202) 225-7926 (fax)
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
1
From: Peng, Seng
Sent:
To:
Monday, September 28, 2009 11:47 AM
CA37-dc
Subject:
SengH Peng
Staff Assistant
OT Drycleandes for CLR
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7924
(202) 225-7926 (fax)
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
1
From: Peng,Seng
Sent:
To:
Monday, September 28, 2009 1:43PM
CA37-dc
Subject:
SengH Peng
Staff Assistant
OT Dryclean
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7924
(202) 225-7926 (fax)
Piease consider the environment before printing this e-mail
1
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Seng Peng
Staff Assistant
Peng,Seng
Thursday, October 01, 2009 2:51 PM
CA37-dc
Ot dryclean
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth HOB
washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-7924 Tel
(202) 225-7926 Fax
Sent using BlackBerry
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Lucinda Richard
Richard, Lucinda
Tuesday, October 06, 2009 2:11 PM
CA37-dc
OT post office & dry cleaning
Legislative Correspondent
Representative Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
(202) 225-7924
Please consider the environment before printing this e-maiL
From: Peng,Seng
Sent:
To:
Wednesday, October 07, 2009 11 :31 AM
CA37-dc
Subject:
SengH Peng
Staff Assistant
Ot dry cleaners
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7924
(202) 225-7926 (fax)
Piease consider the environment before printing this e-mail
1
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Lucinda Richard
Legislative Assistant
Richard, Lucinda
Friday, November 20, 2009 4:14PM
CA37-dc
OT dry cleaning
Representative Laura Richardson {CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
{202) 225-7924
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Lucinda Richard
Legislative Assistant
Richard, Lucinda
Tuesday, December 01, 2009 4:01 PM
CA37-dc
OT dry cleaning
Representative Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
(202) 225-7924
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.
From: Peng,Seng
Sent:
To:
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 2:18 PM
CA37-dc
Subject:
SengH Peng
Staff Assistant
ot errand for CLR
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7924
(202) 225-7926 (fax)
Please consider the environment before this e-rnaii
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
SengH Peng
Staff Assistant
Peng, Seng
Thursday, November 05, 2009 2:12PM
CA37-dc
Ot Errand for CLR
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7924
(202) 225-7926 (fax)
Please the enviromnent before printing this e-mail
From: Peng, Seng
Sent:
To:
Tuesday, December 01, 2009 3:24 PM
CA37-dc
Subject:
SengH Peng
Staff Assistant
ot errand for CLR
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7924
(202) 225-7926 (fax)
Please consider the environment before this e-mail
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
SengH Peng
Staff Assistant
Peng, Seng
Monday, December 07, 2009 5:12PM
CA37-dc
OT Errand for CLR
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7924
(202) 225-7926 (fax)
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
From: Peng,Seng
Sent:
To:
Friday, December 11, 2009 1 :48 PM
CA37-dc
Subject:
SengHPeng
Staff Assistant
OT CLR apt.
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7924
(202) 225-7926 (fax)
Pleas'" consider the environment befor-e this e-·mail
From: Peng, Seng
Sent:
To:
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 3:08 PM
CA37-dc
Subject: ot to take CLR mom to gallery
SengH. Peng
Staff Assistant
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7924
(202) 225-7926 (fax)
Please consider the environment before this e-mail
From: Peng,Seng
Sent:
To:
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 12:24 PM
CA37-dc
Subject: otl and then errand for CLR
SengHPeng
Staff Assistant
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7924
(202) 225-7926 (fax)
PleasE: consider the environment before this e-rnaii
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Seng Peng
Staff Assistant
Peng,Seng
Tuesday, February 02, 2010 2:50 PM
CA37-dc
OT clr errand
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-7924 Tel
(202) 225-7926 Fax
Sent using BlackBerry
From: Peng, Seng
Sent:
To:
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 1 :49 PM
CA37-dc
Subject:
SengHPeng
Staff Assistant
ot errand for CLR
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7924
(202) 225-7926 (fax)
Please consider the environment befom this e-mail
From: Peng,Seng
Sent:
To:
Thursday, February 25, 2010 5:31 PM
CA37-dc
Subject:
SengH Peng
Staff Assistant
ot errand for clr
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7924
(202) 225--7926 (fax)
Please consider the environment before this e-mail
From: Peng,Seng
Sent:
To:
Friday, February 26,20101:17 PM
CA37-dc
Subject:
SengH Peng
Staff Assistant
OT CLRs house
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7924
(202) 225-7926 (fax)
Piease consider the env1romr1ent befme this e-r-nail
From: Peng,Seng
Sent:
To:
Tuesday, April 13, 2010 11 :41 AM
CA37-dc
Subject:
SengH Peng
Staff Assistant
OT CLR errand
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7924
(202) 225-7926 (fax)
Please consider H1e environrnent before this EHnaii
From: Peng,Seng
Sent:
To:
Thursday, April 29, 2010 12:16 PM
CA37-dc
Subject:
Seng H Peng
Staff Assistant
ot clr errand + Lalla
Congresswoman Lama Richardson (CA-37)
1725 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7924
(202) 225-7926 (fax)
Please consider the environrnent before this e"maif
EXHIBIT 0
December 29,2006
Statement of Chairman Doc Hastings and Ranking Minority Member Howard L. Berman
Regarding Representative John Conyers
The Chairman and Ranking Minority Member, pursuant to Committee Rule 18(a),
initiated an infonnal inquiry in December 2003 into reports that members of the
congressional staff of Representative John Conyers had performed campaign activity on
official time and in some instances using official resources, and that some staff members
may have been compelled to do campaign work or personal work for- Representative
Conyers. The assertions in the reports, if true, could implicate a number of laws and
House rules applicable to Members, including: House Rule 23, clause 1 (requiring the
conduct of a Member or employee to reflect creditably on the House of representatives);
House Rule 23, clause 8 (requiring that congressional staff perform official duties
commensurate with compensation); 31 U.S.C. § 130l(a) and corresponding regulations
of the Committee on House Administration (providing that official funds may be used
only for the purposes appropriated); and 18 U.S.C § 606 (prohibiting adverse personnel
action or intimidation to secure a "contribution of money or other valuable thing"
including services, for a political purpose).
Committee Rule 18(a) permits the Committee, in the absence of a filed complaint,
to consider "any infonnation in its possession indicating that a Member, officer, or
employee may have committed a violation of the Code of Official Conduct or any law,
rule, regulation, or other standard of conduct .... " The Chainnan and Ranking Minority
Member may jointly gather additional information concerning such a potential violation
unless and until an investigative subcommittee is established.
During the course of their inquiry, the Chairman and Ranking Member asked for
and received infonnation, including documents, from several sources, including
Representative Conyers. Committee staff also interviewed witnesses regarding the
allegations.
In the course of providing info1mation to the Committee, Representative Conyers
acknowledged what he characterized as a "lack of clarity" in his communications with
staff members regarding their official duties and responsibilities, and accepted
responsibility for his actions. Representative Conyers also provided the Committee with
documents indicating that he had begun taking steps to provide clearer guidru1ce to staff
regarding the requirement that campaign work and official work be separate.
After reviewing the information gathered during the inquiry, and in light of
Representative Conyers' cooperation with the inquiry, we have concluded that this matter
should be resolved through the issuance of this public statement and the agreement by
Representative Conyers to take a number of additional, significant steps to ensure that his
office complies with all rules and standards regarding campaign and personal work by
congressional staff.
Representative Conyers has agreed to the following conditions:
1. Prohibiting his personal congressional staff (other than his Chief of Staff)
from performing any campaign-related work, including work done on a
voluntary basis, during the 11 oth Congress, unless the staff member takes a
paid position on his campaign while on leave without pay status and obtains
prior written approval from the Committee.
2. Informing staff members in writing of the prohibition set forth above against
the voluntary performance of campaign work.
3. Distributing a memorandum to each member of his personal congressional
staff which clearly sets fmih all House rules conceming (1) the perfonnance
of campaign and other non-official work by congressional staff members and
(2) the prohibition against the performance of any campaign-related work
being conducted in either his congressional or district offices. Additionally,
this memorandum will explicitly state that the performance of campaign or
other non-official work by staff members may not be required as a condition
of their employment.
4. Directing that meetings of his personal congressional staff be held annually in
which the House rules concerning staff participation in campaign activities are
discussed and explained. In addition, a description of these rules will be made
a part of the orientation for all new staff employees.
5. Continuing to maintain the detailed time-keeping system initiated by Rep.
Conyers during the course of the Committee's inquiry.
6. Requiring that all members of his congressional staff attend a bdefing
conducted by Committee counsel on the application of, and compliance with,
applicable House rules concerning the performance of campaign and other
non-official work by congressional staff members.
Provided that the above requirements are complied with, this matter will remain closed,
and the Committee will take no further action on it.
Watchdogs: Ethics Committee In Turmoil Over Partisan Staff 1 TPMDC http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/20 11103/watchdogs-ethics-comr
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Watchdogs: Ethics Committee In Turmoil Over
Partisan Staff
Susan Crabtree[ March 15,2011, 6:00AM RecornmenJ 78
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Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA)
Read More
Ethics, I louse Democrats, I louse Republicans, ! louse of
Repre:s0ntative::;, Bonner, Maxln-2 Water;;, Morgan Kim, OCE.
Office o(Congresswnal EthiCS, Slaccy
Share
';:: :0' EMAIL TO A Ffl!END!
year.
Govemment watchdogs are condemning a
decision to allow a Republican office to become a
safe haven for supposedly nonpartisan Ethics
Committee staff, saying it's one of the leading
reasons why the panel is so dysfunctional.
The House Ethics Committee, led by Rep. Jo
Bonner (R-AL), has virtually shut down amid
partisan recriminations and staff sniping over last
year's handling of the case against Rep. Maxine
Waters (D-CA). Last week TPM r0poned that at
least one of the panel's attorneys who had been
suspended for allegedly mishandling the case had
soft-landed on the GOP side of the House Natural
Resources Committee, run by Rep. Doc Hastings
(R-WA).
TPM also discovered that for the last several
years, Hastings and the Natural Resources
Committee has employed Todd Ungerecht as
either a personal staffer for Hastings or a Natural
Resources committee aide at the same time
Ungerecht was serving as a ranking member
1
S
counsel to the Ethics Committee.
Even more troublingly, Ungerecht last year
served as a senior GOP counsel on the Natural
Resources panel while investigating the case
against Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), who the
House censured for a string of misdeeds late last
"The notion that the ethics committee, which is supposed to be the one committee that is nonpartisan, would
allow one of its employees to split his time with another partisan committee? Jim stunned,u said Meredith
McGehee of the Campaign Legal Center.
"I think this is crossing a line that is wholly unacceptable," she added. "There's no way that an ethics
committee should be serving on a partisan committee ... you
1
re setting the whole situation up to have reasonable
claims of partisan motivation. The notion here that you can sen'e two masters is just wrong."
The ongoing tensions and partisan jabs were on public display last night when a private letter in which Bonner
accuses his Democratic predecessor, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (CA), of breaking House rules by trying to fire the two
attomeys who worked on the Waters case was leaked to the H,.ashington Post.
In the letter, according to the Post, Bonner said that Lofgren's decision was unilateral and taken "without
cause, in my view," and that the two staffers- counsels Morgan Kim and Stacey Sovereign- had "acted
appropriately and consistent with the highest ethical standards."
The Post story was one of a series of leaks aimed at attacking Lofgren's decision to suspend the attomeys, and
watchdogs say the leaks constitute a grave violation of the committee's confidentiality rules and professed
non-partisan agenda but reveal just how dysfunctional the committee has become.
The Ethics Committee is the only panel in which most staffers are considered non-partisan. In fact, its rules
regarding staff specifically call for "professional, nonpartisan staff," according to a c,,ry of the latest
committee rules.
"The staff as a whole and each individual member of the staff shall perform all official duties in a nonpartisan
manner, u the rules state.
The rules specifically allow the chair and ranking minority member to appoint one individual as a shared staff
member "from the respective personal staff of the Chair or Ranking Minority Member to perfom1 service for
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Watchdogs: Ethics Committee In Turmoil Over Partisan Staff J TPMDC http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/20 11103/watchdogs-ethics-com
2 of 5
the Committee," but the rules do not provide for shared staff with other panels.
Public Citizen's Craig Holman said the partisan staff on both sides of the aisle have created serious problems
for the paneL
"The staff are extremely partisan, and it's causing serious problems on both sides of the aisle .. as a result the
House Ethics Committee has basically shut down," he said.
Fortunately, Holman said, the Office of Congressional Ethics, a board made up of mainly fanner members of
Congress, is still up and running and holding members of Congress accountable. The OCE can only conduct
initial probes and make recommendations for further action to the full ethics panel. but because some of its
actions eventually become public it has spurred the Ethics Committee to act on many cases since its creation
in 2008.
"Forrunately. we still have an OCE up and running," Holman said. "If the Ethics Committee ends up doing
nothing, the public will be watching. At least now we're going to know whether they are fulfilling their
mandate.
Waters is accused of intervening on behalf of a minority-owned bank in which her husband owns stock and on
whose board he'd previously sat She has mounted a vigorous, detailed defense, arguing she was acting on
behalf of all minority-owned banks, as she has done for other minority interests for years, and raising
hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight it through a legal defense fund.
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23 Comments 1 Join the conversation
"I think this is crossing a line that is wholly unacceptable."
she added.
Has lvls. l\1cGehee been living in a hole for the last few years? This is pretty
much standard IOKIYAR procedure at this point..
concerned
parent
3 MONTHS AGO
CityGuy
3 MONTHS AGO
Iyris
3 MONTHS AGO
It
1
S only obvious if you are not in washington. Our government has
become the reincamate of the roman senate.
Et tu Boehner?
Flag
Flag
Flag
Actually our government has been becoming more and more fascists
over the years.
Now I don't know about the Romans but I have seen idiots like
bachmann, mcconnell, rand paul making complete fools of
themselves, but their constituents appear to be just as mucll idiots as
they arc. Most of their constituents keep voting for these clowns.
Except rand who most likely will be re-elected over and over again.
Whatever happened to intelligence? Whatever happened to
improving our country? Caring for our fellow Americans? We have
got to get rid of the gop or we will not recognize our Country in a
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