Kline Sells Out Military To Cover Mistakes

From the Rowley Campaign:

According to a report in the New York Times today, the House Armed Services Committee somehow inserted language into an appropriations bill that effectively terminates the oversight of the Office of the Special Inspector (IG) General for Iraq Reconstruction on October 1, 2007. The termination of the IG generated surprise and some outrage among lawmakers who say they had no idea it was in the final legislation. The obscure provision was reportedly inserted in spite of the objections of Democrats during a closed-door conference that was dominated by the Republican majority.

Minnesota Second District Congressional candidate, Coleen Rowley, says if the voters of her district knew John Kline was misusing his Congressional authority in this manner, they would be outraged. The GOP's stopping of any effective oversight over potential war profiteering is just another example of the Republican "culture of corruption" that has pervaded government since the Bush Administration came to power. The public, on the other hand, is crying out for comprehensive ethics reform in Congress."

U.S. Representative John Kline apparently acted together with fellow-Republicans to add a last-minute provision that effectively undermines investigations into corruption and war profiteering, according to his opponent, DFL challenger and retired FBI Agent Coleen Rowley.

Rowley noted that Kline's comment published in today's Minneapolis Star-Tribune that he "can't authorize unlimited money" with regard to helping fund veterans health benefits and other assistance starkly contrasts with his actions to terminate reconstruction oversight since it is just such governmental oversight which serves to detect and reduce fraud, waste and abuse.

"This is yet another example of what I've termed 'special interest corruption', and how it happens that the interests of big-money corporate campaign donors, in this case the companies that have contracts for reconstruction of Iraq, are placed over the needs of 2nd District taxpayers and their families. It's increasingly clear that this corrupting influence has influenced what John Kline does in Washington and who he really represents."

Rowley made her statements immediately after leaving a press conference at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul on Friday, where she criticized her Republican opponent John Kline for putting over a million dollars into negative and false campaign mailings and TV ads. "Minnesotans are fed up with negative advertising instead of discussing the issues," said Rowley. "We've tried to run an ethical, issues-focused campaign, while Congressman Kline has done little to discuss issues and has, instead, since day one, been spending enormous amounts of money derived in large measure from special interest and corporate PACs, to distract voters from the issues through distortions and half truths."