Dems want inquiry into reports of Medicare bribe
Fri Dec 5, 6:35 AM ET
USATODAY.com
By William M. Welch and Andrea Stone, USA TODAY

Democrats and a legal watchdog group have asked Attorney General John
Ashcroft (news - web sites) to investigate allegations that Republicans
offered a House member $100,000 in contributions for his son's election
campaign if he would vote for a Medicare prescription drug benefit
passed by Congress last month.

Such an offer could be interpreted as a bribe that violates federal law,
Democrats and outside legal experts said. Ashcroft spokesman Mark
Corallo said Thursday that the attorney general's office will review a
letter requesting an investigation from Democratic National Committee (
news - web sites) Chairman Terry McAuliffe.

Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and
Ethics in Washington, a non-partisan legal watchdog group, also wrote
Ashcroft demanding an investigation. "The attempted bribery and
extortion of a member of Congress on the House floor destroys the heart
of our democracy," she wrote.

Though lobbying for support is common during close votes, the
Republicans' successful effort in the wee hours of Nov. 22 stands out
for several reasons. GOP leaders held the vote open for nearly three
hours. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who customarily leaves partisan
arm-twisting to others, was actively involved. So was Tommy Thompson,
President Bush (news - web sites)'s secretary of Health and Human
Services (news - web sites), even though Cabinet members seldom enter
the House or Senate chambers.

Media reports have alleged that an undisclosed Republican told Rep. Nick
Smith (news, bio, voting record), R-Mich., that if he voted for the
bill, business interests would contribute $100,000 to help his son,
Brad, succeed him. Smith is not seeking re-election in 2004. His son is
one of several Republican candidates running for the seat.

"Not only was this bribe offered to a member of Congress, it was offered
on the floor of the House of Representatives by another member of
Congress," McAuliffe wrote Ashcroft.

The allegation was first reported Nov. 27 by syndicated columnist Robert
Novak. Kurt Schmautz, head of Smith's congressional staff, said Smith
confirmed Novak's account as "basically accurate." He said Smith had no
further comment.

Brad Smith said he did not believe a dollar amount was mentioned. He
said his father was told "there's an opportunity for substantial support
for your son" if he voted for the bill. He refused to say who made the
offer but said his father didn't regard it as a bribe.

The younger Smith said the incident has "backfired" in his district. "A
lot of primary voters are disgusted with the hardball politics in
Washington," he said.

Smith did not support the bill. It passed, 220-215, after GOP leaders
spent almost three hours rounding up votes. Smith was among a group of
conservatives who opposed the 10-year, $400 billion bill because they
feared it would cost even more in the future. The bill was a priority of
the Bush administration and Republican leaders. The Senate approved it,
54-44, Nov. 25. Bush plans to sign it into law Monday.

Since the House vote, others have urged Smith to say who offered the
$100,000 in campaign contributions. In an online column on Slate.com,
Timothy Noah wrote, "Stop protecting him, congressman!"

Smith told Gannett News Service on Nov. 24 that he had been lobbied
heavily to support the bill. He said he had received promises that
business interests and GOP leaders would help his son's campaign in
exchange. He said he also was told those same groups would work to
defeat his son if Smith voted against the bill.

Hardball tactics are customary in the House when votes are needed to
pass legislation. But they more often involve promises of plum committee
assignments, visits to districts for campaign help or specific additions
to legislation.

Charles Lewis, executive director of the Center for Public Integrity, a
public-interest research group, said such an episode would be "a
revealing vignette."

"It's a window into how politics works, and how closely tethered
contributors are to their respective parties, and how they work hand in
hand in getting their way legislatively," Lewis said.

Lewis said there was little chance the Justice Department (news - web
sites) or the House ethics committee would investigate. In the House,
Democrats and Republicans have an unspoken agreement not to initiate
ethics inquiries, and only a member's request can trigger a committee
investigation. House Democratic leaders avoided comment on Smith's
allegations Thursday.

American Enterprise (news - web sites) Institute political analyst
Norman Ornstein said that if the reports are true, the incident "cuts
across a whole series of lines." He said Thompson's presence and
Hastert's lobbying were highly unusual. "I've never heard of anything
like this on the floor," Ornstein said. "It just stains the
speakership."

Ornstein said an inducement of campaign money "is by every standard a
violation of the law." But he added, "Will anything be done about it?
I'm very skeptical."

Copyright © 2003 USATODAY.com