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Exclusive–Documents: Congress Charges Secret Fee to Land Top Committee Spots
Breitbart Big Government ^ | 10-21-13 | Wynton Hall

Posted on 10/21/2013 4:08:03 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic

Members of Congress must pay secret fees known as “party dues” to the Democratic and Republican parties to secure and maintain top committee chairmanships and assignments, newly uncovered internal documents reveal.

The never-before-published lists are reprinted inside the new book Extortion: How Politicians Extract Your Money, Buy Votes, and Line Their Own Pockets, written by Government Accountability Institute President and Breitbart News Senior Editor-at-Large Peter Schweizer.

Senior congressional staffers say the committee price lists have long been rumored to exist but that few people on Capitol Hill have seen them, giving them an almost "mythical" quality.

The book contains copies of the Democratic and Republican price lists detailing how much money lawmakers must raise to obtain and keep their seats on congressional committees. The so-called “party dues” lawmakers must contribute for committee assignments are separate and apart from the fundraising they conduct for their own campaigns. If lawmakers fail to make their tribute payment to their party, they can lose their place on a powerful committee.

“These party dues are not voluntary,” writes Schweizer. “Members are not asked to pay—they are required to pay.”

In the 2013-2014 election cycle, the going rate for a Democratic assignment as the ranking member on a top committee like the House Ways and Means or Financial Services Committees is $500,000. Schweizer reports that Democrats also use a “members points system” that rewards its members for attending party fundraisers.

(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: assignments; bribery; chairmanships; congress; congresscommittees; corruptgovernment; expose; extortion; fundraisers; money; partydues; paytoplay; peterschweizer; pointsystem; schweizer; secretfees
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1 posted on 10/21/2013 4:08:04 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Kool...


2 posted on 10/21/2013 4:15:05 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: afraidfortherepublic

We currently have the most corrupt government ever to hold office in Washington, the leaders of both parties are nothing but hard core fascists thieves.

“A people unwilling to use extreme violent force to preserve or obtain their liberty deserve the tyrants that rule them.” Jefferson

And indeed we do deserve what we now have.

Who is John Galt.


3 posted on 10/21/2013 4:15:28 PM PDT by stockpirate (It appears good men have decided to do nothing, so evil is prevailing......)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

So who gets all this money they pay?

It’s time, imho, for a national strike. Has been for quite some time.


4 posted on 10/21/2013 4:18:10 PM PDT by little jeremiah (Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. CSLewis)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
The more we find out the more they seem like a gang of thieves dividing up the loot.

They extort the taxpayers. They extort the lobbyists. They extort the businesses. They even extort each other.

5 posted on 10/21/2013 4:18:35 PM PDT by oldbrowser (The debt limit is the emergency brake on government spending)
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To: maggief; MestaMachine; hoosiermama; TigersEye; penelopesire; ConservativeMan55; ...

Ping, this is another great reason for term limits. The country class has no chance against this group of cleptocrats.


6 posted on 10/21/2013 4:19:51 PM PDT by crosslink (Moderates should play in the middle of a busy street)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise...NOT!


7 posted on 10/21/2013 4:22:32 PM PDT by PoloSec ( Believe the Gospel: how that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again)
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To: Pride in the USA; Stillwaters

Surprise! But...not.


8 posted on 10/21/2013 4:25:13 PM PDT by lonevoice (Today I broke my personal record for most consecutive days lived)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Yet one more corrupt practice by the U.S. Politburo. Just when you couldn’t imagine it being any more corrupt than you already imagined.


9 posted on 10/21/2013 4:26:56 PM PDT by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

secret?

Oh, I think many of us knew those positions could be bought.

Why else would anyone spend $millions to run for Congressional positions that have a $174,000 salary?


10 posted on 10/21/2013 4:28:16 PM PDT by TomGuy (.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

MARK LEVIN IS RIGHT!!!! Only the states can save our Republic now.


11 posted on 10/21/2013 4:32:05 PM PDT by SC_Pete
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To: stockpirate
We currently have the most corrupt government ever to hold office in Washington,

Nah. There have been scandals and corruption for decades. The Teapot Dome scandal of the 1920s came to mind immediately.
12 posted on 10/21/2013 4:32:28 PM PDT by TomGuy (.)
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To: crosslink

Pocket change if your wife is an uber-rich owner of a beer distributorship.


13 posted on 10/21/2013 4:35:19 PM PDT by TigersEye (Stupid is a Progressive disease.)
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To: TomGuy
From the article:
Schweizer contends that the common belief that outside forces and special interests seek to bribe Washington politicians is wrong. The reverse is true: lawmakers use a series of "brass knuckle legislative tactics" to politically extort wealthy interests and industries into forking over large political donations—some of which can then be funneled to a politician’s friends or family members.

14 posted on 10/21/2013 4:41:46 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: stockpirate

The rest of the Mob has moved to DC.


15 posted on 10/21/2013 4:42:55 PM PDT by stubernx98 (cranky, but reasonable)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

wow


16 posted on 10/21/2013 4:44:08 PM PDT by GeronL
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To: little jeremiah

A National Taxpayers Strike would need at least tens of millions joining it to make a big impact.

Huge crowds chanting “We won’t pay!” at the White House, Capitol and federal buildings in major cities would be priceless.


17 posted on 10/21/2013 4:45:54 PM PDT by GeronL
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To: crosslink

Corrupt! Corrupt! Corrupt!


18 posted on 10/21/2013 4:46:15 PM PDT by hoosiermama (Obama: "Born in Kenya" Lying now or then)
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To: GeronL

This reminds me of the shock one of my State Reps felt when he found out that he had to PAY the State Party in order to run for re-election to his own seat. It was a pretty sizeable fee. This requires him to have a fundraiser every year, whether he needs one, or not. He’s a popular figure and wins re-election easily, so he might not have to raise so much money if he didn’t have to pay State Party “dues” every year.


19 posted on 10/21/2013 4:49:47 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic

It’s called a vig out here


20 posted on 10/21/2013 4:50:13 PM PDT by ronnie raygun
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