Rep. Gary Miller (CD-42), Official Member of the Republican Triangle of Corruption

The headlines tell the story . . .

Miller Raises Bar on Requests for Funds
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (May 25, 2007)
Reacting to what he calls "unfounded allegations in the press that I have used my office to benefit certain individuals or private business," Rep. Gary Miller said Thursday he has adopted a strict new rule for cities or counties who come to him seeking federal aid.  "From this point forward," he wrote in a letter to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, "any city or county submitting an appropriations request to my office will be required to certify in writing that the request is for the benefit of the community and not the specific benefit of any individual, organization or business entity."  more

Miller Earmarks Aided Partner
The Hill (May 3, 2007)
Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) helped secure several earmarks in the 2005 transportation bill that would benefit projects of his business partner, Lewis Operating, according to House sources and an analysis of the bill's earmarks and San Bernardino County, Calif., land records.  In the years leading up to the bill's passage, Miller's financial ties to the company, one of the largest privately held real-estate development companies in the country, have grown. The year before the transportation bill passed, Miller borrowed $7.5 million from Lewis Operating to purchase land from it. Lewis Operating Corp. is also one of Miller's top campaign contributors; employees of the company have donated $22,150 to Miller's campaign committee since his election to Congress in 1998. more

Democrats Fuel Campaign Against Miller
San Bernardino County Sun (April 9, 2007)
Congressional Democrats have launched an early campaign to unseat Rep. Gary Miller in 2008, unleashing a series of ads focusing on questionable land deals made by the congressman that are now part of a federal investigation.  One ad, posted on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Web site, www.dccc.org, and on the video site YouTube.com, includes footage of a 2000 Monrovia City Council meeting in which Miller, R-Brea, pleads with the city to buy land he later said was sold under threat of eminent domain. more

FBI Probes California GOP Congressman's Land Deals
Washington Post (February 10, 2007)
A Republican congressman from California defended his reputation this week, as FBI investigators look into charges that he improperly delayed paying taxes on several lucrative land deals.  Rep. Gary G. Miller told fellow House Republicans behind closed doors Tuesday that he "has done nothing wrong, his business dealings have all been above-board and that these allegations are baseless and have no merit," his spokesman Scott Toussaint said.  The FBI investigation follows an article in the Los Angeles Times and a complaint from the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics alleging that Miller, a wealthy real estate developer, unlawfully avoided paying taxes on a land deal. more

Rep. Miller Helped Pursuit of Public Funds For His Land
The Hill (February 9, 2007)
For over two years, Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) helped members of a southern California city council in their pursuit of federal and state funds for a wilderness preserve project that included the purchase of 165 acres that he owned.  The FBI is looking into whether Miller violated tax laws. He failed to pay capital gains taxes on the sale of his land to the City of Monrovia, claiming that the city imposed eminent domain, which allows a government agency to force a sale if it is deemed to be in the public interest. City of Monrovia officials deny that they invoked eminent domain. more

Miller Mounts His Defense
Roll Call (February 8, 2007)
As Republican leaders attempt to keep a closer eye on potential scandals within the GOP Conference, Rep. Gary Miller (Calif.) assured his colleagues during a closed-door meeting Tuesday that despite a federal investigation into his real estate dealings he has done nothing illegal and is simply the target of partisan attacks.  "I have absolutely been falsely accused," Miller said in a brief interview Wednesday.  Miller said he told his colleagues at Tuesday's Conference meeting that all of the documents related to his business transactions are available in his Congressional office for any Member or staff to review.  He added that he voluntarily provided "three books" of documents to the House ethics committee in October for review, and presented Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) with similar documents this past month and again on Monday to assure him of his behavior.  more

Under Scrutiny, Miller Defends Land Deals
Orange County Register (February 1, 2007)
Congressman Gary Miller, R-Diamond Bar, continues to defend his private land dealings throughout San Bernardino County despite what appears to be a burgeoning FBI probe.  The five-term Republican -- whose district includes Brea, Anaheim and Mission Viejo, has come under scrutiny over several land sales in Monrovia and Fontana as well as loans from campaign contributors.  more

Gary Miller Can Always Get What He Wants
Los Angeles Times (December 13, 2006)
Gary Miller, you make a grown man cry.  Using your congressional staff, and your official letterhead, to score some tickets to see the Rolling Stones? That's a violation of federal law and leaves us, frankly, shattered.  According to a Dec. 12 story in The Times, citing records provided by former staff, the Republican congressman from Diamond Bar has his taxpayer-salaried staffers perform such personal and family chores as registering his son for college classes. more

Official's Tax Break: on Firm Ground?
Los Angeles Times (August 13, 2006)
When U.S. Rep. Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar) sold 165 acres to the city of Monrovia in 2002, he made a profit of more than $10 million, according to a financial disclosure form he filed in Congress. Ordinarily, he would have had to pay state and federal taxes of up to 31% on that profit.  Instead, Miller told the Internal Revenue Service and the state that Monrovia had forced him to sell the property under threat of eminent domain. That allowed him to shelter the profits from capital gains taxes for more than two years before he had to reinvest the money. more

Miller's Land Deals Ethically Questionable
Orange County Register (August 10, 2006)
After a long hiatus, Rep. Gary Miller returned to the real estate game in 2003 -- and among the land deals, he's finding political controversy. Key issues are a $7.5 million loan from a major contributor who's also a business partner, and a bill the Republican carried that helped close the Rialto airport -- which was then purchased by that contributor, the Lewis Group of Companies.  more