The Washington Examiner attempts to turn up the heat on Mark Warner by suggesting that in “brainstorming” a possible job for former Sen. Phil Puckett’s daughter, Warner may have run afoul of a law meant to guard against a future Tom DeLay:
…a law passed in the wake of the K Street Project scandal prevents members of Congress from helping people secure private-sector jobs for partisan reasons.
Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay, R-Texas, was behind the K Street Project, which sought to pressure lobbying firms to hire former GOP Hill staffers and other Republican allies.
Among the early acts of the Democratic congressional majority elected in 2006 was passage of the House [sic] Leadership and Open Government Act in 2007.
The law prohibits congressmen from “threatening or offering to take official action, or from influencing or threatening or offering to influence an official act of another, in an attempt to influence, solely on the basis of partisan political affiliation, an employment practice or decision of a private entity,” according to a summary of the statute by the Congressional Research Service.
Well…maybe. In the hands of a creative prosecutor, just about anything a government official does can be construed as illegal. Particularly if said prosecutor uses the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act.
Legal considerations aside, the intent here is really political. Mr. Warner has another question to answer, and another possible dent in his Teflon. But here is another angle:
Warner also mentioned a job at CGI, the Canadian contractor that received $93 million from the Obama administration to create the disastrous healthcare.gov website.
The Canadian contractor’s federal division depends upon Washington for much of its income, which makes it especially vulnerable to government pressures.
That Warner would suggest this company is interesting. Yes, it has the right location (Russell county) to entice a Puckett. But recall, too, that CGI has an outpost in Southwest Virginia thanks to Gov. Warner:
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Russell County Industrial Development Authority and the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Warner approved a $700,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist Russell County with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission approved $700,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the project. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide training assistance through its Workforce Services Program.
There’s that Opportunity Fund again. And the Tobacco Commission, too.
Just don’t expect the Senator to answer any questions from the press about it.
