Last week, we learned that a land sale to Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) and his business partners was illegal.  But that's not the only issue as The Hill notes today, which we've excerpted below.  There's the question of the earmarks surrounding that deal.   We sure think that's a problem hence Calvert's inclusion in CREW's report, Beyond DeLay, naming the 20 most corrupt members of Congress.  He's one of them:

More broadly, Calvert’s role in the land deal has raised questions about whether federal money that he helped obtain for a desalination project for JCSD in a 2005 bill influenced its decision to sell the parcel to him and his partners without notifying others that the land was for sale. Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) sponsored the legislation along with Calvert and four other area congressmen.

Concerns surrounding the land deal as well as the grand jury’s investigation into the sale were discussed during internal House GOP deliberations earlier this year, when House Republicans debated whether Calvert should win a seat on the Appropriations Committee, according to two GOP sources attending some of the discussions.

Several GOP members expressed reservations about naming Calvert as Rep. John Doolittle’s (R-Calif.) replacement on the spending panel. Doolittle resigned after the FBI raided his home in an investigation stemming from Doolittle’s ties to jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

For his part, Calvert has denied any wrongdoing in the matter. He also said in a statement that the grand jury’s report proves his innocence.

“The grand jury findings prove that there was no wrongdoing on my part or that of my investment partners,” he said in a written statement. “I find it regrettable that the Jurupa Community Services District failed to follow the proper steps in dispensing with its surplus property. When I invested in the parcel of land I was unaware the [JCSD] made the missteps outlined by the grand jury’s findings.”

The Jurupa Community Services District, the entity that oversees many governmental services for the unincorporated sections of Riverside County, California, arranged a land deal with a partnership including Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA).   Rep. Calvert was named by CREW as one of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress, in part, because he used his position to earmark funds to increase the value of his own property.  In other words, the earmarks benefited Calvert's own land deals.  One of those land deals we questioned was with the Jurupa Community Services District.   CREW raised the concern that Calvert received "preferential treatment" in that $1.2 million deal.

Now, a grand jury has determined that the deal with the District violated California law:

The Jurupa Community Services District violated state law when it sold 4 acres of public land to Rep. Ken Calvert and his investment partners without first offering it to other public agencies -- including the local park district that wanted it, the Riverside County grand jury concluded in a report released Tuesday.

The grand jury recommends that the water and sewer agency turn over the $1.2 million it pocketed from the sale, minus costs, to the Jurupa Area Recreation and Park District.

Hat tip Think Progress. 

The Associated Press prepared this handy overview of the members of California's Congressional delegation who are facing ethical controversies. Coincidentally, all four current members profiled were named in CREW's report, Beyond DeLay, as among the 20 most corrupt members of Congress:

Rep. John Doolittle – The nine-term conservative from far Northern California is under investigation in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling scandal that's already resulted in 12 convictions of congressional aides, Bush administration officials and others, including a guilty plea from one former Republican member of Congress, Bob Ney of Ohio.

Doolittle, whose ties to Abramoff include accepting his campaign money and helping his clients, relinquished his seat on the Appropriations Committee in April after FBI agents raided his home in Virginia with a search warrant for a fundraising and event-planning business run there by his wife, Julie, that had done work for Abramoff and drawn commissions from Doolittle's campaigns.

Doolittle denies wrongdoing.

Rep. Jerry Lewis – In his 15th term representing inland Southern California, Lewis was chairman of the Appropriations Committee last year when federal prosecutors in Los Angeles began investigating his ties to a lobbyist who represented a number of towns and businesses in Lewis' district. Clients of lobbyist Bill Lowery received valuable federal spending approved by Lewis' committee, and the firm and its clients have been generous donors to Lewis and his campaign committees.

Lewis remains top Republican on the Appropriations Committee and denies wrongdoing.

Rep. Gary Miller – A real estate developer serving his fifth term representing inland Southern California, Miller drew scrutiny after the Los Angeles Times published stories highlighting a tax deferral strategy he used in connection with profitable real estate sales to two Southern California towns outside his district. Officials in both towns say they've been interviewed by FBI agents, but Miller says he's done nothing wrong.

Rep. Ken Calvert – A year ago the FBI obtained copies of Calvert's annual financial disclosure forms after the Los Angeles Times reported on federal funding Calvert pushed for a planned freeway interchange 16 miles from property he sold for a large profit. Calvert denied any connection or any profit to himself and said he'd done nothing wrong; there's no public evidence that he's under active investigation. Still, conservative bloggers protested after House GOP leaders tapped Calvert to replace Doolittle on the Appropriations Committee.

 

What else would we expect from the House Ethics Committee?  They rarely act -- but when they do, there are rarely, if ever, consequences:

The House ethics committee cleared the way for Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) to pursue a $5.6 million earmark for a transit center one-tenth of a mile away from one property and less than a mile from four other properties that he owns in his district.

The ethics committee found that Calvert’s earmark would not “have a direct and foreseeable effect” on his real estate. The evaluation came in a letter to Calvert dated May 3, about two weeks before he announced a plan to submit all earmarks and potential conflicts of interest to the ethics panel for vetting.

Below is an excerpt about Rep. Calvert's land deals from our report, Beyond DeLay.  Seems that Calvert's earmarks have had the direct effect of increasing property values.  We'd say that's a "direct and foreseeable effect," but we're not the House Ethics Committee:

In 2005, Rep. Calvert and his real estate partner, Woodrow Harpole Jr., paid $550,000 for a four acre piece of land at Martin Street and Seaton Avenue in Perris, just 4 miles south of the March Air Reserve Base in California. Less than a year after buying the land, without making any improvements to the run down parcel, they sold the property for $985,000, a 79% increase. During this period, Rep. Calvert pushed through an earmark to secure $8 million for an overhaul and expansion of a freeway interchange 16 miles from the property, as well as an additional $1.5 million for commercial development in the area around the airfield.

In another deal, a group of investors bought property a few blocks from the site of a proposed interchange, for $975,000. Within six months, after the earmark for the interchange was appropriated, the parcel of land sold for $1.45 million. Rep. Calvert’s firm received a commission on the sale.

By using his position to earmark funds to increase the value of his own property, Rep. Calvert violated the prohibition against using his position as a member of Congress to advance his own financial interests. as well as the House rule requiring all members of the House to conduct themselves “at all times in a manner that reflects creditably on the House.”

Think Progress documents the "musical chairs" among the ethically challenged members of the GOP caucus:

After demoting one member of his caucus for corruption, Boehner has chosen to promote and reward two other deeply corrupt congressmen.

- Doolittle out: In mid-April, the FBI searched the Virginia home of Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) as part of “its investigation into the ties of the congressman and his wife, Julie, to disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff.” Soon after, he was forced to step down from his seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

- Calvert replaces Doolittle: The House Republican Steering Committee voted last week to appoint Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) to Doolittle’s vacant seat. Calvert, who has a history of scandals, including extensive profiting from legislation he supported and a well-publicized escapade with a prostitute, is one of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington’s “20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress”

- Feeney replaces Calvert: Yesterday, Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), who was recently questioned by the FBI over his relationship to Abramoff, told the Orlando Sentinel that “he would take over as GOP leader on the space subcommittee, part of the overall House science committee.” He’s replacing Calvert, who had to abandon the position in order to accept Doolittle’s appropriations seat.

All three members, Doolittle, Calvert and Feeney, are named in Beyond DeLay, as among the 20 most corrupt Members of Congress in CREW's report, Beyond DeLay.

Despite the public outcry over Rep. Ken Calvert's ethical woes -- an outcry from across the political spectrum -- last week, the House of Representatives approved Calvert's new seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee:

During the vote, several Republican shouts of “no” prompted the GOP to call for a show of hands, which indicated a lopsided vote in favor of Calvert’s appointment, according to several GOP sources present. There was an objection to confirming the appointment by a show of hands, and at least one member called for a secret-ballot vote. But that move would have required a unanimous agreement, and at least one member objected. As a result, the effort failed, the sources said.

This week, some GOP members were still lamenting the decision.

“It’s like we didn’t learn anything from last year,” one GOP lawmaker said, referring to the November elections and the loss of the party’s majority control.

But Democrats as well as critical Republicans had the power to take matters into their own hands to prevent the assignment.

All committee assignments must go to the House floor for approval after the Republicans conference or the Democratic Caucus selects them. Party leaders usually bring the committee assignments to the floor through a unanimous consent agreement, which fails if even one member opposes it and calls for a recorded vote.

Under such a scenario, party leaders likely would pull the resolution to avoid forcing members to vote on a controversial committee assignment — a vote that could be used against them in campaigns.

This could have been stopped -- it wasn't. 

The Politico reports that on-going ethical scandals continue to haunt the House GOP caucus and its leader, John Boehner.   Apparently, political spending concerns are preventing Boehner from purging the party of ethically challenged members like Rick Renzi (AZ) and John Doolittle (CA):

House Minority Leader John A. Boehner took his job last year with a pledge to cleanse his party's scandal-stained reputation on Capitol Hill. In recent weeks, Boehner has been getting an unpleasant education in how hard that turns out to be.

When Reps. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) and Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) became the subjects of FBI raids, Boehner pushed them to give up their committee assignments. But party operatives said Doolittle and Renzi are not facing pressure to resign from the House for now -- in part because the House GOP campaign committee does not want the expense of competing to keep their seats in a special election.

And Boehner is coming under fire from his own members over the decision to replace Doolittle on the House Appropriations Committee with Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.). Calvert himself is facing ethics scrutiny over a land deal in his Southern California district.

The Calvert decision underscores the complexity of Boehner's task, as he tries simultaneously to clean house and keep peace within his own caucus. The California delegation was insistent that the coveted Appropriations seat go to one of their own, following long-standing custom. But the move has upset other GOP members and some conservative bloggers, who fear that Calvert's alleged problems will feed the party's reputation for corruption.

If only John Boehner the Republican leader would act like John Boehner the leadership candidate, the Republican Conference would be in a much stronger position," said a House Republican aide who works for a lawmaker upset with Boehner's move. "Decisions like the Calvert appointment cripple our party's ability to be associated with reform, and until our leadership changes direction, they are leading this conference even further into the political abyss."

Yesterday, Rep. Ken Calvert was named to fill Rep. John Doolittle's vacant seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Doolittle gave up his seat after his home was raided by the FBI. Coincidentally, Calvert is also under investigation by the Department of Justice.

CREW blasted Calvert's appointment. So, did RedState.org, a leading right wing blog, according to The HIll:

Erick Erickson, the editor of the blog, which is popular with conservatives, declared “war” on the House GOP leadership following its decision to appoint Calvert to the panel.

“The House Republican Leadership just does not get it and they will not take us seriously until we flex our muscle against them,” Erickson wrote. “We must fight the House GOP and we must fight today.

“Today, I declare war on the Republican Leadership of the United States House of Representatives. … We must scalp one member. That member’s name is Ken Calvert.”

Erickson said in an e-mail to The Hill, “There were plenty of other Republicans who would have been eligible and good. Instead, they made a lateral move from Doolittle to Calvert, who has not only had several questionable land deals, but also an arrest.”

From The Hill:

The House Republican Steering Committee appointed Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) to fill an open Appropriations Committee seat that has been vacated by embattled Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.).

Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced the change in a statement and congratulated Calvert.

Prior to the selection, questions had been raised about whether Calvert should be appointed to the committee because of allegations that he helped facilitate the passage of an earmark to benefit himself financially. The lawmaker has denied any wrongdoing.

That doesn't show much of a commitment to ethics. Ironically, given that Rep. Doolittle was forced out of his seat because of the raid, the FBI has been investigating Rep. Calvert for nearly a year.

Melanie Sloan, made the following statement on Calvert's appointment:

Clearly the House Republicans have decided that ethics simply do not count in Congress. Why would the minority choose to replace one member under federal investigation with another member also under federal investigation? While Rep. Calvert has not yet had his home raided, the FBI is probing his conduct. No member of Congress under investigation by the Department of Justice should have the authority to make budgetary decisions about that agency. Rep. Calvert is the wrong person to take over Rep. Doolittle’s appropriations committee seat.

Similarly, Republicans continue to demonstrate their indifference to ethics by allowing Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA), also under federal investigation and the ranking member of the appropriations committee, to remain in his post. It is well past time for Rep. Lewis relinquish his plum assignment pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.

Both Calvert and Doolittle were named in Beyond DeLay, CREW's list of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress.

The Orange County Register's column, The Buzz, ran an item on the two U.S. Representatives with ties to OC, Gary Miller and Ken Calvert, for making the list of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress in CREW's report, "Beyond DeLay":

Both local members live outside the county, but have districts that reach into O.C. Rep. Gary Miller, R-Diamond Bar, got dinged primarily because of alleged tax evasion. He's sold property to the cities of Monrovia and Fontana in recent years, claiming a capital-gains exemption with the premise that he got rid of the land under threat of eminent domain.

The issue is whether that "threat" was adequate to qualify for the exemption. Miller denies wrongdoing and hasn't been formally charged with anything.

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, made the list because of two properties he sold at a significant profit after helping win federal funding for road improvements in the two areas. Calvert denied using his position to enrich himself and the Riverside Press-Enterprise has opined that he did nothing wrong.

In addition to naming Miller and Calvert as among the 20 most corrupt members of Congress, CREW has also pushed for investigations of their unethical actions. In August of this year, CREW filed a complaint with the IRS against Miller for failure to report or pay capital gains taxes on several real estate transactions. CREW has also demanded an investigation to determine if Calvert violated federal law or House rules by taking money for his campaigns in exchange for earmarks.