REPORT REVEALS REP. JIM GERLACH AND REP TIM MURPHY PARTICIPATED IN WHITE HOUSE POLITICAL SCANDAL

REPORT REVEALS REP. JIM GERLACH AND REP TIM MURPHY PARTICIPATED IN WHITE HOUSE POLITICAL SCANDAL
Both used taxpayer funds for re-election campaign.

Reading, PA – A report released by the House Committee on Government and Oversight Reform shows that Rep. Jim Gerlach and Rep. Tim Murphy directly benefited from the improper and unethical use of taxpayer money to support his 2006 re-election bid.

The House Committee on Oversight has documented that senior Bush political aides used federal funds to support the re-election campaign of Gerlach and Murphy by sending federal officials to their Congressional Districts for campaign events disguised as official business. White House communication records show that the trips were specifically intended to help Gerlach and Murphy win re-election – the very definition of political activity.

The report shows that Rep. Gerlach accepted taxpayer-financed help for his 2006 campaign on four separate occasions. The four events were:

1) 3/10/06 – Visit by Commerce Secretary Gutierrez (Exton, PA)
2) 5/15/06 – Visit by Commerce Secretary Gutierrez (Malvern, PA)
3) 9/18/06 – Visit by EPA Administrator Johnson (Pottstown, PA)
4) 10/2/06 – Visit by HUD Secretary Jackson (Reading, PA)

The report shows that Rep. Murphy accepted taxpayer-financed support for his re-election campaign on six separate occasions. The six events were:
1) 1/6/06 – Visit Energy Secretary Bodman, with Melissa Hart (Pittsburgh, PA)
2) 3/17/06 – Visit HHS Secretary Leavitt (Pittsburgh, PA)
3) 5/12/06 – Visit EPA Regional Administrator (Cannonsburg,, PA)
4) 8/25/06 – Visit HHS Secretary Leavitt (Philadelphia, PA)
5) 9/14/06 – Visit Education Secretary Spellings (Pittsburgh, PA)
6) 9/26/06 – Event HHS Secretary Leavitt (Washington, DC)

“Congressmen Gerlach and Murphy have some explaining to do to the people of Pennsylvania,” said Jeff Garis, Executive Director of Penn Action. “Using tax dollars for campaign purposes is clearly unethical. We’re calling on Representative Gerlach and Representative Murphy to reimburse Pennsylvanians the public funds that the Bush White House spent on his campaign.”

Full documentation can be found at http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=2222
www.keystoneprogress.org
www.pennaction.org