From the Hurst for Congress campaign comes the following press release (bolding added for emphasis):
Hurst to Hold Press Conference Tuesday, August 1Democrat Andrew Hurst, candidate for Congress in the 11th district of Virginia, will hold a press conference at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, August 1. Hurst will make an important announcement regarding the influence-peddling scandal surrounding his opponent, Congressman Tom Davis (R-11).
The press conference will be held in front of the ICG Government office at the corner of Westpark and Greensboro Dr. in Tysons Corner, VA. The address is 8400 Westpark Dr. Mclean, VA.
ICG is a consulting company for technology firms seeking government contracts founded by Davis confidante Donald W. Upson. According to the Washington Post, Mr. Upson has used his relationship with Davis to give his clients unique access to the lawmaker, his staff, and the resources of the Government Reform Committee.Additionally, Davis+óGé¼Gäó wife, State Senator Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, is employed as a +óGé¼+ôconsultant+óGé¼-¥ to ICG at a rate of $6,500 per month, despite the fact that she does only +óGé¼+ô10 to 20 hours a week+óGé¼-¥ of work from her cell phone.
Andrew Hurst is a partner with the Virginia law firm Reed Smith LLP. He was recently named Under-40 Lawyer of the Year for his commitment to community service and work with emerging small businesses. His priorities in Washington will be reforming the culture of corruption, increasing access to quality health care and bringing a responsible end to the war in Iraq.
This should be VERRRRY interesting. Oh, by the way, how do I get one of them $6,500-per-month, 10-20-hours-per-week-taling-on-my-cell-phone jobs? Hey, Congressman Davis, I know I'm not one of your constituents, but can you help set me up with one of those gigs? Hey, thanks man! :)
Lowell Feld is Netroots Coordinator for the Jim Webb for US Senate Campaign. The ideas expressed here belong to Lowell Feld alone, and do not necessarily represent those of Jim Webb, his advisors, staff, or supporters.
....and why hold Tom accountable for her?
they are two very differrent people.
Also, Davis has done worse things that having this wife working for a government contractor.These things need attention too.
The ethics opinion did not get Davis off the hook. It told Davis what he would have to do to comply, and it looks like he did not, since he was advertised heavily as a featured speaker at ICG conferences. Here's the Front Page touting its Davis connection that ICG took down after the article published.
"...[A] Member of the House, is prohibited from
* "discriminat[ing] unfairly by the dispensing of special favors or privileges to anyone, whether for remuneration or not,
* "accept[ing] for himself or his family, favors or benefits under circumstances which might be construed by reasonable persons as influencing the performance of his govemmental duties" (ld.) (emphasis added), or
* “us[ing] any information coming to him confidentially in the performance of governmental duties as a means for making private profit.
In view of these provisions, Ms. Devolites should avoid discussing her relationship to you as a Member of Congress when soliciting either clients for ICG or participants for ICG-sponsored conferences. One or more of the provisions outlined above may be implicated if she were to invoke your name or position in Congress when soliciting clients or conducting other activities on behalf of the firm, whether or not the client was previously known to you or your wife. Thus, as a general matter, Ms. Devolites should not use her relationship to you in connection with any activity in which she is involved on behalf of her business interests, so as to avoid a claim that you are allowing yow official title to be used for private gain.
PITIN has already noticed that Davis's wife drops his name on her bio for ICG.
Also, consider that their PACs donate to each other, that's another benefit of her connections and employment with no firewall between them. Donors to her PACs and committees (with no funding limits) can donate to his PACs and committees (with Federal limits), and vice versa, skirting the law.
The bigger the turn out, the more attention this scandal will get. Sunlight kills corruption. Let us know that you'll try to be there!
100 degrees tommorrow. Let's sweat together!
Repubs live and breathe by the motto that "the best defense is a good offense." Let's see if they can take the heat when Dems show up to the gates of their fortress with a battering ram.
Bring it on!!