As we've noted below, there's been controversy swirling around Rep. Jerry Lewis and his coveted seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.  In April, CREW called for his removal from that committee, but nothing has happened yet.  CREW has also named Lewis one of the most corrupt members of Congress for the second year in a row.

Given all the attention Lewis is receiving, we wanted to shine the spotlight on how he earned the "most corrupt" designation again this year:

Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) is a 15th-term member of Congress, representing the 41st district of California. Currently the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, his ethics issues stem primarily from the misuse of his position as chairman of the committee to steer hundreds of millions of dollars in earmarks to family and friends in direct exchange for contributions to his campaign committee and political action committee. Rep. Lewis was included in CREW’s 2006 report on congressional corruption.

Relationship with Bill Lowery and Copeland Lowery Jacquez Denton & White

Rep. Lewis has a close relationship with lobbyist and former Congressman Bill Lowery, and his lobbying firm, formerly known as Copeland Lowery Jacquez Denton & White (“Copeland Lowery”). As chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Lewis approved hundreds of millions of dollars in federal projects for Mr. Lowery’s clients. In exchange, Mr. Lowery, his partners and their spouses contributed $480,000 to Rep. Lewis’ campaign committee and Future Leaders PAC between 2000 and 2005, often giving the maximum contribution allowed under law.

Copeland Lowery’s staff includes Letitia White, who joined the firm in 2003 after working in Rep. Lewis’ office for 22 years, most recently as a staffer to the Appropriations Committee.

At Copeland Lowery Ms. White, who became known as “K Street’s Queen of Earmarks,” quickly built a client list of two dozen defense firms that were seeking earmarks.

Jeffrey Shockey, another staffer for Rep. Lewis until 1999, also left to join Copeland Lowery. Mr. Shockey stayed with the firm for six years before returning to Capitol Hill in January 2005, for a second stint with Rep. Lewis as deputy staff director of the Appropriations Committee. To compensate for Mr. Shockey’s drop in income, Copeland Lowery paid him nearly $2 million in departure payments and hired his wife, Alexandra Shockey, as a subcontractor.

Rep. Lewis is also under investigation because of his dealings with the same contractors who had ties to former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-CA). After Rep. Cunningham pleaded guilty, Rep. Lewis resisted an independent investigation of Rep. Cunningham’s activities on the Appropriations Committee, stating that his own personal informal review of Rep. Cunningham’s earmarks was satisfactory and that the earmarks Rep. Cunningham doled out were legitimate. In total, Rep. Lewis has received $88,252 from now indicted contractor Brent Wilkes and his associates, making him the third-highest recipient of campaign contributions from Mr. Wilkes, after Rep. Cunningham and Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA). Rep. Lewis has received a subpoena requesting documents relating to the investigation of former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham and contractor Brent Wilkes.

Federal officials currently are investigating Letitia White and Jeffrey Shockey and the cozy relationship between Rep. Lewis and Copeland Lowery, now know as Innovative Federal Strategies (IFS). Rep. Lewis sponsored $55 million in earmarks for IFS clients in the 2008 Defense Appropriations bill.

In 2006, Rep. Lewis’ congressional committee, Lewis For Congress Committee, spent $881,145.83 on legal fees. The campaign committee’s quarterly reports filed in April and July 2007 indicate that the committee has spent $66,561.61 so far this year.

If Rep. Lewis has traded legislative assistance for campaign contributions, he may be charged with bribery and honest services fraud and may have violated House rules prohibiting the dispensation of special favors and acting in a manner does not reflect credibly on the House.