ONDCP Personnel Dispatched to Help Elect Republicans

Rep. Henry Waxman seems to have found some damning emails indicating that members of the Office of National Drug Control Policy were sent across the country to announce grants and make public appearances in congressional districts where Republican congressional candidates needed a boost.

If so, it would be a clear violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits the use of federal resources in a political campaign. The federal government has (inexplicably) exempted federal officials from the Hatch Act when it comes to lobbying to overturn state efforts at legalization. But it certainly doesn't exempt them from using the office to boost the campaign of drug-war-friendly congressional candidates.

One other telling part of the find is this passage in an email from ONDCP White House liaison Douglas Simon:

The Director and the Deputies deserve the most recognition because they actually had to give up time with their families for the god awful places we sent them.

Here's a list of those "god-awful" places. Wonder how the residents of these (mostly) Red State districts feel about a White House political appointee describing their communities in such terms?

Thanks to Tom Angel for the tip.

Comments

John | July 18, 2007, 9:46am | #

Columbia, MO is pretty god awful. RCJH.

Michael Pack | July 18, 2007, 9:50am | #

Until Waxman steps up and tries to end this war on drugs I don't want to hear from him.

P Brooks | July 18, 2007, 9:57am | #

"... the god awful places we sent them."

Washington, D C, on the other hand, is a Paradise on Earth.

brian | July 18, 2007, 9:58am | #

DC is on the list. October 3rd.

brian | July 18, 2007, 9:59am | #

Haha!
From the list:

"Drug Event w/ Sen. Rick Santorum (TBD, PA) -- Cancelled"

Taktix® | July 18, 2007, 10:03am | #

There are some nice places on there (Tampa, Seattle) but I think we shouldn't pick on the "God-awful" remark.

They went to New Jersey twice. That trumps all...

Tom | July 18, 2007, 10:06am | #

Students for Sensible Drug Policy is calling for John Walters to resign, and we've set up an action alert where outraged citizens can send letters directly to the Drug Czar, demanding his resignation. And members of Congress - who control ONDCP's budget - will be copied on all the messages.

http://daregeneration.blogspot.com/2007/07/partisan-republican-drug-czar-must.html

Pete Guither | July 18, 2007, 10:08am | #

Note: the word "families" was spelled correctly in the original email (see pdf file) so the [sic] is unnecessary. The spelling error probably came from someone's Adobe Acrobat attempt to OCR the document on the fly.

JKP | July 18, 2007, 10:20am | #

Yeah, but South Bend, Indiana really IS a "god-awful" place.

P Brooks | July 18, 2007, 10:26am | #

"... the Hatch Act, which prohibits the use of federal resources in a political campaign."

I thought the whole point of being a Congressman was to use federal resources in your ongoing (neverending) political campaign.

de stijl | July 18, 2007, 10:29am | #

Stockton ain't exactly paradise on earth.

edna | July 18, 2007, 10:35am | #

Students for Sensible Drug Policy is calling for John Walters to resign, and we've set up an action alert where outraged citizens can send letters directly to the Drug Czar, demanding his resignation.

this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done, and they're just the guys to do it.

mediageek | July 18, 2007, 10:43am | #

You know, I have to say that organizations like Students for Sensible Drug Policy, etc. really have a great gig. The ONDCP is so shot through with incompetent morons that highlighting their ongoing stupidity is a bit like having a machine where you vaguely word a set up to a joke, and it spits out a laugh-inducing punchline.

Tom | July 18, 2007, 10:50am | #

You're right, mediageek. Making fun of ONDCP really isn't that hard. The hard part is choosing which of their fumbles to go after each day.

Radley Balko | July 18, 2007, 10:55am | #

You're right, Pete.

Made the fix in the post.

Nick M. | July 18, 2007, 11:06am | #

They retracted the date for Terre Haute, IN. Talk the shittiest of shit-holes.

VM | July 18, 2007, 11:17am | #

NickM:

that's cuz Field Marshall Wilfred von Kluck's cheese dissolved the city.

He did it to Terra Haute. He did it to Carlotta.

Now behave!

Warren | July 18, 2007, 11:44am | #

Fucking bastards. Fucking fucks. I hope they hang em all.

Now someone buy me a drink before I have to go collect trunk trophies.

Mr. Nice Guy | July 18, 2007, 11:52am | #

Red states are god awful places. I would much rather live in DC than Wichita. National Gallery, Georgetown, Catholic U, GWU, George Mason, Cato, art house movie cinema, there is always something intellectual going on. Witchita? Faith healing.
Of course, things are a little more complicated. The blue areas in traditionally red states (Lawrence in KS, Charlottesville in VA) can be intellectually great places to be, and without the crazy high taxation that exists in blue states.

jody | July 18, 2007, 11:57am | #

they misspelled 'quakertown, pa.' nice.

Rhywun | July 18, 2007, 12:11pm | #

(Looking at the list) I don't speak Bureaucrat. WTF is a "regretted" event?

crimethink | July 18, 2007, 12:15pm | #

VM,

Aw, they were just about to build a public library!

crimethink | July 18, 2007, 12:17pm | #

Mr Nice Guy,

Yeah, are they doing stage productions of the works of Charlottesville's most famous playwright yet? I can't wait to see Richard McBeef.

Mr.Nice Guy | July 18, 2007, 12:32pm | #

Crimethink-as any Wahoo could tell you, it is an unforgivable offense to confuse Charlottesville with Blacksburg! Come on!

Nick M. | July 18, 2007, 2:09pm | #

crimethink,

Terre Haute has no need for a library. They don't know how to read any way.

peachy | July 18, 2007, 2:48pm | #

As much as I hate to agree with an ONDCP stooge, there really are some shitholes on that list. I'd turn to drugs too if I lived some of those places...

Steve Young | July 18, 2007, 5:26pm | #

Bull! The belief in government corruption is for tin-foil hat hearing conspiracy theorists!