Posted on 11/17/2006 10:13:39 AM PST by Snickering Hound
WASHINGTON — The turmoil in newly elected Rep. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs' office deepened Thursday with the Houston Republican demanding a congressional investigation of aides who quit in a mass walkout earlier this week.
Sekula-Gibbs said the staffers, holdovers from her predecessor Tom DeLay, deleted records from the office's computers Monday, the day before seven of them resigned in apparent protest of their treatment.
"As public servants, they have harmed the 22nd Congressional District and they have brought shame to this office," Sekula-Gibbs said in a statement. "I have a duty to investigate."
Sekula-Gibbs was elected to complete DeLay's term. Democrat Nick Lampson will succeed her when the next two-year term begins in January.
David James, who was chief of staff under DeLay and ran the office after the Texas Republican resigned in June, flatly denied that he or his colleagues had acted improperly.
House rules demand that computers be scrubbed clean before a new representative takes over, James noted.
James had previously been unwilling to discuss his five-day experience working for Sekula-Gibbs, but said he could no longer remain silent after accusations against him and co-workers with more than 30 years combined experience on Capitol Hill.
"Never has any member of Congress treated us with as much disrespect and unprofessionalism as we witnessed during those five days," he said. He declined to detail specific behavior.
Sekula-Gibbs also leveled charges of unprofessionalism against the former aides, saying they "left without notice and their departure raises suspicions." An eighth staffer who left was a part-time employee shared with other offices.
The congresswoman, who was sworn in Monday to fill the remaining two months of DeLay's term, has asked the House's chief administrative officer to investigate. The office didn't return calls Thursday, and had yet to respond to Sekula-Gibbs' request, said her chief of staff, Lisa Dimond.
Defenders of the departed aides were puzzled by Sekula-Gibbs' actions, saying the former DeLay staff members were hard-working, loyal employees dedicated to the Texas district, particularly at a time when the office lacked a representative.
"We had the good fortune of working with them over the years and every one of them, to a person, has unimpeachable character and integrity," said Tony Essalih, chief of staff to Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston.
"I hope it is just a misunderstanding," said Essalih, who described Sekula-Gibbs as a dedicated legislator. "I do have a lot of respect for her and I think she's going to do a fine job, but I've never known any of these staffers to be anything but top-notch."
A former congressional staffer familiar with the 22nd District's operations also praised the aides. "They know the district like the back of their hand; it has been their lives for years and it was with a heavy heart that they had to leave," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Sekula-Gibbs' current staff includes two employees who came with her from Houston and an intern borrowed from another congressional office.
While Dimond acknowledged the computers were clean when the congresswoman opened the office on Nov. 9, she said the former aides deleted recently created files Monday, the day before they walked out. The files related to research on Ellington Field, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Medicare, she said.
James denied the accusation. "The memos, press releases, and speeches that we wrote for her in the brief time we were there were provided to her electronically or in hard copy, or both," he said.
Sekula-Gibbs has attracted national attention during her brief stay in Washington, in part because she came to the Capitol in an electoral quirk. On Nov. 7, she won a special election to fill DeLay's term but fell short as a write-in candidate for the next term.
But she's also raised eyebrows with the staff turmoil and ambitious goals that include reforming immigration and cutting taxes during her seven-week tenure.
She is going to make a few votes and she knows that, but the Congress does have some unfinished work to take care of.
What the MSM is doing is taking her normal enthusiasm of being part of that historic process as 'arrogant' or 'naive'.
The MSM is trying to mock what is a good trait, exuberant innocence.
You would think that the people on the Free Republic at least would give her the benefit of doubt.
I don't think anyone who knew Gibbs in Houston would describe her motives as exuberant innocence.
More like flailing desperation, she surrendered her City Council seat to take this very short term and thinks these antics will win her the Republican nomination in 08'.
I don't live in her district but people that I know that do were very angry at the midnight stunt the local Republican party pulled to give her this shot and passing over some well qualified conservatives. Gibbs is not, repeat Not, repeat NOT a conservative if you check her City Council voting record!
So now we are going to take City Council votes as proof of one's conservatism?
That was exactly the tactic that Lampson pulled.
She raised taxes on water and sewage!
The fiend!
She ran as a conservative Republican.
She received an 'A' rating from the NRA.
She is supporting the extension of the tax cuts.
She is far more conservative the Lampson will ever be.
Now, according the article, people who do her know are saying that acting in an abusive manner is out of character for her and are surprised by it.
Could it be that she is a little overwhelmed by it all?
Oh, that can't be it, I am sure all of us would handle going to Congress as no big deal.
But, the MSM attacking a Republican-they must be right!
Ok, you don't believe the MSM, here is a Conservative Houston blog about her and some trashing of the Houston Chronicle and other local media.
http://www.bloghouston.net/
She voted to make Houston an illegal alien sanctuary, raised taxes, sought the Planned Parenthood endorsement for her campaign in 2000.
Then somehow she wrangles the Republican endorsement from precinct chairman and says she will do the opposite if elected to Congress. District 22 didn't buy it. If Lampson raises taxes, supports illegal alien amnesty, and pushes for abortion...then he'll be just as conservative as Gibbs when she was in City Council.
Lampson will have a tough opponent in Paul Bettencourt if he gets the nomination, a much tougher opponent than the hold-your-nose-for Dr. Sekula -hyphen- Gibbs.
Oh yeah, Lampson got the NRA endorsement with an A+ (it was controversial at the time).
I will check out the blog, but the Houston Chronicle is just another liberal rag.
All they are doing is repeating the same story reported in the Washington MSM.
She voted to make Houston an illegal alien sanctuary, raised taxes, sought the Planned Parenthood endorsement for her campaign in 2000.
And she ran against illegal immigration, against abortion and against taxes.
Maybe she grew in 6 years?
Now, if she had voted liberal, she would have been thrown out in 08, it is just that simple.
So what is Lampson's record in immigration and abortion?
Then somehow she wrangles the Republican endorsement from precinct chairman and says she will do the opposite if elected to Congress. District 22 didn't buy it. If Lampson raises taxes, supports illegal alien amnesty, and pushes for abortion...then he'll be just as conservative as Gibbs when she was in City Council.
And if she hadn't did what she said, she would have lost the seat to a more conservative candidate.
As for wrangling, I do not know how she got chosen, but then either do you.
There weren't many good options since the election was only a few weeks away.
Lampson will have a tough opponent in Paul Bettencourt if he gets the nomination, a much tougher opponent than the hold-your-nose-for Dr. Sekula -hyphen- Gibbs.
Any Republican will beat Lampson easily in CD22.
She did a good job in getting the amount of write in votes she did and probably would have won except for those like yourself who would rather have someone who we know is a liberal, then someone is at least running as a Republican Conservative.
Oh yeah, Lampson got the NRA endorsement with an A+ (it was controversial at the time).
I bet it was, another sell out by the NRA.
I thought Lampson got an 'A'.
He got a 'C' from the GOA.
This can't be!
Maybe they got tired of hearing a Republican being bashed without any contextual facts.
Ofcourse, when Lampson gets in he will get every thing straightened out and then can run in CD22 as someone who cleaned up the mess and confusion left behind by the inept Republicans.
And you guys wonder why the GOP loses elections.
Thanks for the link - good info source. I never thought of looking there.
I have never heard Senator Hutchison insisting her name be spelled Kay Bailey-Hutchison, have you? My point is that whenever you see a hyphenated name, chances are the owner of the name is of a liberal persuasion. Kay Bailey Hutchison is not a liberal....and she does not hyphenate her name.
We were sure ahead of the curve.
The good news is the next time Gibbs goes to Washington will be as a tourist.
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