Pelosi's little gem: Bribery on the House floor.

When I read the text of Pelosi's protected resolution yesterday, one thing stood out that I think should get another looksee. She mentioned that a member of the House was approached with a bribe of $100,000 for his son, and when he didn't accept, he was threatened by Rep. Cunningham and others.

Her specific quote:

"Whereas it was widely reported in the press that former Representative Nick Smith (R-MI) was bribed on the House floor, and the incident was described in Robert Novak's column in the Chicago Sun-Times, November 27, 2003: "Nick Smith was told business interests would give his son $100,000 in return for his father's vote. When he still declined, fellow Republican House Members told him they would make sure Brad Smith never came to Congress. After Rep. Nick Smith voted no and the bill passed, Rep. Duke Cunningham of California and other Republicans taunted him that his son was dead meat."

Does anyone have more details about this incident? With all the Republican corruption we've seen exposed of late, I think we need to carefully review each incident because they all seem to be connected. Given Cunningham's recent guilty plea, there might be more to this. A coincidence that Rep. Smith was ousted afterward? I don't think so. Does anyone have any details on the Republican support Rep. Smith received in the last election (which might reveal retaliation)?

If anyone has any detailed info on this incident, please post. I think this should get a little more of our attention. Thanks!

They just choose to do nothing about it. I had a letter to the editor printed about it when it happened. It was known. I even heard or read about Nick Smith talking about it myself, but the details are hard to call back. Do a search at C-Span for his name in the video search section.

In a radio interview back home he denied it and the interviewer played back a tape of his original statement. Then Smith claimed a memory lapse, if I remember correctly.

Gotta love them Repubs.

I know that before the paper printed my letter, they checked it out.
I have something on this somewhere, but I have too much "stuff." Will check..

The vote on HR 1 (the Medicare Prescription Program) was literally held open for hours in violation of the Republicans' own rules, as GOP members arm-twisted reluctant representatives.

Michigan's Congressman Smith, however, wasn't "ousted." He had announced his retirement and his son was, at the time, running for his seat. That's where the bribery stuff starts coming to bear. Cunningham and others told Smith that if he would vote for the bill, a $100,000 donation would be made to his son's campaign. Technically (and technicalities are these dirty Repigs' stock-in-trade) it wasn't a "bribe." It was merely an offer of support for Smith's son's campaign.

When Rep. Smith demurred, and after the vote, Cunningham and others told Smith his son was "dead meat."

Given Cunningham's involvement in the process, it would be smart for the House Dems to make "a federal case" out of this.

I hope Ms. Pelosi's resolution doesn't just dry up and blow away.

shortly after they passed the fraudulent Medicare Rx scam. It may have been in the NYT or WAPO but I do remember realding it. It got little media attention and as all they do just got passed over. Why can't this bill be recalled, the information given was fradulent too about the projected costs.

Son Brad was running to replace Smith. Nick did not name the person who tried to bribe him.

http://www.slate.com/id/2091787

http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/120403A.shtml

http://www.citizensforethics.org/activities/campaign.php?view=57

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/12/05/national1003EST0515.DTL

the "dead meat" comment is so quaintly reminiscent of mafia protection rackets.

google. I always put in the wrong info.

http://schwarz.house.gov/portal/alias__IRIS/lang__en/tabID__66/DesktopDefault.aspx

Joe Schwarz attended the University of Michigan and graduated in 1959 with a Bachelor of Arts in history. He received his medical degree from Wayne State University in 1964, soon after volunteering for service in the U.S. Navy to fight communist infiltration in Southeast Asia. He served two tours of duty, the first in Vietnam, and the second as assistant naval attaché to the U.S. Embassy in Djakarta, Indonesia, reporting to the Defense Intelligence Agency. He retired from the Navy with the rank of lieutenant commander (O-4).

After leaving the Navy, Schwarz remained in Southeast Asia until 1970 as an operative of the Central Intelligence Agency.

...works best. I knew it!

"Feb 26, 2004 -- Roll Call: FBI Examining Smith Medicare Allegations

By John Bresnahan

Three months after a controversial floor vote propelled Rep. Nick Smith (R-Mich.) into the national spotlight, FBI agents are looking into alleged attempts to sway the Michigan Republican during a tense Nov. 22 showdown on Medicare reform, according to sources.

Smith declined to comment on whether he has had discussions with the FBI, and it is unclear if agents have actually interviewed him yet. But sources said Smith has indicated he will not seek protection under the Speech or Debate Clause, which restricts lawmakers from being questioned about legislative activity.

The injection of federal law enforcement officials into the mix raises the stakes in a controversy that has simmered since the late November vote on adding a prescription drug benefit to the Medicare program.

Smith, who is retiring at the end of this session, has already met with the top Republican and Democrat on the House ethics committee, Reps. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.) and Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.), to discuss the events surrounding the Nov. 22 vote."

http://www.campaignlegalcenter.org/press-1052.html

"Get ready for the third version of Rep. Nick Smith's Medicare bribery story.

Version 1—by far the most convincing—was Smith's allegation that someone in the House leadership (whom he declined to identify) had offered to give "$100,000-plus" to his son Brad's congressional campaign if he would only change his "no" vote on the Medicare prescription-drug bill to a "yes." Smith, a Michigan Republican who's decided not to run for re-election, stuck by his guns and voted "no" (on the grounds that it would create an expensive new entitlement), then spoke out angrily against these heavy-handed political tactics.

Version 2 came into being after Chatterbox, reacting to columnist Robert Novak's report on the $100,000 offer, pointed out that it easily met the legal definition of a bribe under United States Code, Title 18, Section 201. Smith himself had used the word "bribes" to describe what occurred on the House floor the night of the vote, but either he hadn't thought through the implications, or he hadn't meant "bribes" in the non-metaphorical, alderman-goes-to-jail sense of the word. As pressure mounted for the Justice Department to investigate, Smith apparently got worried and clammed up.

Smith had expected to win kudos for being a brave man of principle. Instead, he was starting to look like an uncooperative witness in a potential criminal investigation. So, he issued a statement on Dec. 4 that said, "o member of Congress made an offer of financial assistance for my son's campaign in exchange for my vote on the Medicare bill." Although "he lobbying from members was intense," Smith insisted that "o specific reference was made to money." Smith saw "no need for an ethics investigation, let alone a criminal investigation.""

http://www.slate.com/id/2093667

Sounds like the leadership silenced him - DeLay? Sure sounds like him.

"(Battle Creek, December 5, 2003, 6:51 p.m.) A Michigan congressman is in the middle of a tempest that questions the integrity of the House of Representatives.

U.S. Representative Nick Smith, who represents the Battle Creek area, said he was offered a bribe by congressional leaders in exchange for his vote on the controversial Medicare bill that passed last month. Now, he's changing his story.

Yesterday Rep. Smith issued a statement. In it he says he never said money was offered in exchange for a vote. But we have a taped conversation between Rep.Smith and a local radio station that tells a very different story.

It was a big vote, an important vote. So important the house floor was held open for three hours. An unprecedented amount of time. Time for arm-twisting, according to congressional staffers. And Rep. Smith was getting the best of it."

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1553300&nav=0RcdJW5I

And the DeLay direct link:

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An ethics panel admonished U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay on Thursday, saying he improperly offered to endorse a lawmaker's son in return for a vote on a Medicare prescription drug bill.

The House ethics committee said while the conduct "could support a finding" that it violated the chamber's rules, it does not recommend further action against the Texas Republican.

In a 62-page report released shortly before the presidential debate, the panel also admonished Reps. Nick Smith and Candice Miller, both Michigan Republicans. But it recommended no further action against them, either.

It said Smith had "fairly interpreted" Miller's comments to him during a vote on the White House-backed Medicare bill last November as a "threat of retaliation" for opposing it."

http://tinyurl.com/7olru

Sounds like Nick Smith covered for DeLay so he wouldn't get prosecuted for bribery. It's also interesting to note that his son lost the election. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Abramoff dirty dealing in his DC restaurant, DeLay strong-arming House votes, Cunningham and his warehouse full of Persian carpets.

:puke:

As a former Repub, what caused you to come to your senses?

...(morally bankrupt anti-religious wrong) and the weirdness in the party when Bush ran for President. I'd been simmering for a while over a bunch of stuff, but in the end I just couldn't sit and listen to someone telling me a woman should not have an abortion even if it would save her life.

:puke: