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Press Release Published: Sep 5, 2014

Sebelius, Solis Retreat from Hearing Invitation after OGR Dems Demanded Evidence of Hatch Act Violations

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., today announced that the Committee will return its focus to White House Political Office Director David Simas’ contumacious defiance of a lawful subpoena after two former Obama Administration cabinet officials declined invitations to testify at a hearing that was scheduled for next week.  The Committee had asked the two former cabinet secretaries to testify about incidents in which they violated federal law by using taxpayer dollars to support partisan political activity, as well as the White House’s role in coordinating such activity.

“The Oversight Committee Minority has yet again shown the American people that they’re not capable of conducting the oversight that is a necessary part of good government,” said Chairman Issa.  “This Committee attempted to pursue the Minority’s expressed desire to see evidence of wrongdoing and exhaust other options of looking at White House coordination of problematic political activity, but it’s clear that the Minority’s claims of interest in real oversight are hollow.

“When the Oversight Committee met to consider whether Simas’ claim of absolute immunity was valid, Oversight Committee Minority Members insisted there had been no wrongdoing or ongoing investigation connected to the White House. They couldn’t have been more wrong – the Office of Special Counsel found Secretary Sebelius had committed Hatch Act violations and even referred Secretary Solis’ violations to the Department of Justice for a criminal investigation.  They were both part of President Obama’s cabinet when their legal violations occurred.  When we offered both the Oversight Minority and these two former cabinet members an opportunity to testify, they all shrunk from an examination of the facts.  As clear Hatch Act violations by members of President Obama’s own cabinet are evident, the Committee will return its focus to holding this White House and Mr. Simas accountable to the American people.  The White House’s efforts to reconfigure its political office does not inoculate it from oversight of any prior wrongdoing or efforts to rectify these legal violations.”

At a July 25 business meeting considering the White House claim that its Political Director enjoys absolute immunity from testifying before Congress, Oversight Committee Member John Tierney (D-MA) argued, “So there is no allegation of inappropriate or illegal conduct in the situation before us today.  We haven’t exhausted all the other avenues of getting the information.”  He further argued, “So I think the issue here revolves around … whether or not there is any allegations or evidence of some wrongdoing, there is not.  There is no ongoing investigation on that basis, and there is every other way for this to be done.”  Ranking Minority Member Elijah Cummings, seconded these remarks stating, “Mr. Tierney, I associate myself with your words.”

The Los Angeles Times reported that the Office of Special Counsel’s criminal referral of former Secretary Hilda Solis had resulted in an FBI investigation, and in July the White House confirmed that the investigation was still ongoing.

In 2012, the Office of Special Counsel determined that Kathleen Sebelius had violated the Hatch Act.

Click here for Chairman Issa’s August 25 letter to Ranking Member Cummings proposing bipartisan invitation to Secretaries Sebelius and Solis

Click here for Ranking Member Cummings’ August 26 rejection of the proposal to move forward in a bipartisan fashion

Click here for the August 26 invitation to Secretary Sebelius

Click here for the August 26 invitation to Secretary Solis