Rep. Jerry Lewis (CD-41), Official Member of the Republican Triangle of Corruption

The headlines tell the story . . .

House Aide Subpoenaed in Lobbying Probe
Associated Press (October 12, 2007)
A House aide has been subpoenaed by a grand jury in Los Angeles investigating ties between a lobbyist and Rep. Jerry Lewis, the top Republican on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. more

Inland Politicians Say No to Subpoenas
Press Enterprise (September 18, 2007)
Inland Reps. Jerry Lewis and Darrell Issa are among more than a dozen members of Congress served this month with subpoenas seeking their testimony in the upcoming trial for defense contractor Brent Wilkes, who is charged with bribing former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham.  more

Controversial Boon For D.C. Neighborhood
CBS News (July 20, 2007)
Barracks Row is a neighborhood right around the corner from the U.S. Capitol.  With trendy art shops and sidewalk cafes, "business is booming." But this successful commercial district is about to get an infusion of your tax dollars, CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports.  Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., has earmarked $500,000 tax dollars for unspecific upgrades .... "What makes this one interesting is the congressman's wife, who is also his chief of staff, owns a million-dollar home just four blocks from the earmark that he is getting," said Phillips, who works for Americans for Prosperity. "Just four blocks away." more

Lewis to Leave?
Chicago Sun Times (June 3, 2007)
Republican sources on Capitol Hill and in California say Rep. Jerry Lewis, ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee who has been criticized on ethical grounds, will not seek a 16th term next year.  Lewis came under fire last year for pouring millions of dollars worth of earmarks into his heavily Republican southern California district. He has not apologized and vigorously defended himself behind closed doors in the House Republican Conference.  more  

Campaign Funds Going to Legal Fees
USA Today (May 18, 2007)
Two dozen current and former members of Congress caught up in criminal investigations or ethics inquiries spent more than $5 million in campaign funds on legal fees during the last 27 months covered by campaign-finance records.  The spending reflects a spate of scandals that were a factor in the Democratic takeover of Congress last year and, for some lawmakers, remain a problem. Eight current members have been publicly identified as being under investigation. more 

Lewis Holds Fast to Approps Seat
The Hill (April 26, 2007)
Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) is holding tightly onto his Appropriations panel seat even though two House GOP members resigned committee assignments in the last week after the Department of Justice escalated its investigations of them.  FBI searches of the Oakton, Va., home of Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) and a business owned by Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) prompted the lawmakers to give up seats on the Appropriations panel and the Select Intelligence, Resources and Financial Services committees, respectively. more 

Democrats Eye Lewis' Seat
San Bernardino County Sun (February 11, 2007)
National Democratic leaders apparently believe Rep. Jerry Lewis' seat could be vulnerable, when his term expires in 2008 - or sooner.  In recent weeks, the Democratic National Committee's Western District director has contacted local party members to see who might be interested in the House seat that Lewis, R-Redlands, has occupied for three decades. more 

Receptionist-Turned-Lobbyist gets Attention of Federal Investigators
Associated Press (August 24, 2006)
Depending on your perspective, Letitia White is either the epitome of a Capitol Hill success story or a prime example of an unsettling mix of money, politics and public policy. White was a receptionist when she joined the staff of Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands. More than two decades later, she's an influential lobbyist whose connections to Lewis now chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee and others on the Hill have translated into millions of dollars for her and her firm. more

Rep. Jerry Lewis of California Hires High-Profile Legal Team
Associated Press (June 14, 2006)
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis, under federal investigation over his ties to a lobbyist, has hired a high-profile legal team from a Los Angeles-based law firm. Lewis, R-Calif., has denied wrongdoing and has said he has not been contacted by federal investigators in the probe, which became public last month and is being run by the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles. more  

Federal Investigation Targets Lewis
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (June 12, 2006)
When city leaders in Glendora need to enlist some help from their hometown congressman, they just pick up the phone and call Rep. David Dreier's office.  "We don't pay anybody," said City Manager Eric G. Ziegler. "If I wanted to talk to him and had to do so really badly, I'd call over there and talk to his 'top dog,' ask him to have the congressman call me."  Ziegler noted that Dreier's district office is a short drive from Glendora's City Hall - only 2.9 miles away - so he could even drive over to speak with the Republican lawmaker if he wanted.  Comparatively, the city of Redlands has paid $60,000 since 2000 to a high-powered Washington, D.C., lobbying firm. City leaders sought this pricey representation even though Rep. Jerry Lewis, one of the most powerful Republicans in the nation, is a native who still lives there and keeps an office 1.1 miles from City Hall. more

Powerful Lawmaker's Relative Linked Financially to Contractor
Los Angeles Times (June 8, 2006)
A political fundraising committee headed by a defense contractor has paid thousands of dollars in fees to the stepdaughter of House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands) at a time when the contractor has been lobbying Congress for funding.  Lewis' stepdaughter, Julia Willis-Leon, has been paid more than $42,000 by the Small Biz Tech Political Action Committee, according to campaign finance records. The PAC is led by Nicholas Karangelen, founder and president of Trident Systems Inc.  Records show the company received at least $11.7 million in earmarked funds in recent defense spending bills over which Lewis' committee has jurisdiction. more

Lewis Surfaces in Probe of Cunningham
Los Angeles Times (May 11, 2006)
Federal prosecutors have begun an investigation into Rep. Jerry Lewis, the Californian who chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee, government officials and others said, signaling the spread of a San Diego corruption probe. The U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles has issued subpoenas in an investigation into the relationship between Lewis (R-Redlands) and a Washington lobbyist linked to disgraced former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Rancho Santa Fe), three people familiar with the investigation said.  more