Name	Eric Holder
Office	82nd United States Attorney General
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	David OgdenJames Cole
Term start	February 3, 2009
Predecessor	Michael Mukasey
Office3	Deputy Attorney General of the United States
Term start3	June 13, 1997
Term end3	January 20, 2001
President3	Bill Clinton
Predecessor3	Jamie Gorelick
Successor3	Larry Thompson
Office4	United States Attorney for the District of Columbia
Nominator4	Bill Clinton
Term start4	October 1993
Term end4	June 13, 1997
Predecessor4	J. Ramsey Johnson
Office5	Associate Judge on Superior Court of the District of Columbia
Nominator5	Ronald Reagan
Term start5	October 1988
Term end5	October 1993
Birth date	January 21, 1951
Birth place
Party	Democratic Party
Spouse	Sharon Malone
Children	MayaBrookeEric
Profession	Attorney at Law
Alma mater	Columbia University (A.B.) Columbia Law School (J.D.)
Religion	Episcopal }}

Eric Himpton Holder, Jr. (born January 21, 1951) is the 82nd and current Attorney General of the United States and the first African American to hold the position, serving under President Barack Obama.

Holder previously served as a judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, a United States Attorney, Deputy Attorney General of the United States and worked at the law firm of Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. He was senior legal advisor to then-Senator Barack Obama during Obama's presidential campaign and one of three members of Obama's vice-presidential selection committee.

Early life

Eric H. Holder, Jr. was born in the Bronx, New York, to parents with roots in Barbados. Holder's father, Eric Himpton Holder, Sr. (1905–1970) was born in Saint Joseph, Barbados and arrived in the United States at the age of 11. He later became a real estate broker. His mother, Miriam, was born in New Jersey, while his maternal grandparents were immigrants from Saint Philip, Barbados. In 1969, he graduated from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan and attended Columbia University, where he played freshman basketball and was co-captain of his team. He earned a A.B. degree in American history in 1973. Holder received his Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School, graduating in 1976. He worked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund during his first summer and the United States Attorney during his second summer.

Career

After graduating from law school, Holder joined the U.S. Justice Department's new Public Integrity Section during an interval lasting from 1976 to 1988. During his time there, he assisted in the prosecution of Democratic Congressman John Jenrette for bribery discovered in the Abscam sting operation. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan appointed Holder to serve as a judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Holder stepped down from the bench in 1993 to accept an appointment as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from President Bill Clinton. He was the first African-American U.S. Attorney in that office. At the beginning of his tenure, he oversaw the conclusion of the corruption case against Dan Rostenkowski, part of the Congressional Post Office scandal. He was a U.S. Attorney until his elevation to Deputy Attorney General in 1997. Holder also served on The George Washington University's Board of Trustees in 1996 and 1997.

Deputy Attorney General

In 1997, after the retirement of Jamie Gorelick, Clinton nominated Holder to be the Deputy Attorney General under Janet Reno. Holder was confirmed several months later in the Senate by a unanimous vote. During his confirmation hearing, Holder's opposition to the death penalty was questioned, but he pledged his intention to cooperate with the current laws and Reno, saying, "I am not a proponent of the death penalty, but I will enforce the law as this Congress gives it to us." Holder was the first African-American to serve in that position. Holder briefly served as Acting Attorney General under President George W. Bush until the Senate confirmed Bush's nominee John Ashcroft.

As Deputy Attorney General, Holder advised Reno about how far to go in the Justice Department's use of the Independent Counsel statute. Reno made the decision to permit Kenneth Starr to expand his investigation into the Lewinsky affair, leading to Clinton's impeachment.

In his final days with the Clinton administration, Holder was involved with Clinton's last-minute pardon of fugitive and Democratic contributor Marc Rich. Between November 2000 and January 2001, Jack Quinn, Rich's lawyer and former White House Counsel from 1995–96, had been contacting Holder, testing the waters for the political viability of a presidential pardon. Quinn asked Holder for advice as to how he should proceed. According to Rich's attorney, Holder advised to circumvent standard procedures and to submit the pardon petition directly to the White House.

After presenting his case to Holder in a November phone call and a last minute January 17 letter, Quinn arranged a phone call between the White House and Holder, asking the Deputy Attorney General to share his opinion on the Rich pardon. Holder gave Clinton a "neutral, leaning towards favorable" opinion of the pardon. The reporter Joe Conason contends that Rich's pardon was actually a favor from Clinton to members of the Israeli government, for which Clinton hoped to gain progress in the peace talks between Israel and Palestine.

During his February testimonies before the House Government Reform Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee, Holder argued his phone call was not intended as a formal Justice Department blessing of the pardon, saying, "my interaction with the White House, I did not view as a recommendation. because I didn't have the ability to look at all the materials that had been vetted through the way we normally vet materials." He also did not believe his opinion would be interpreted as a go-ahead for the pardon. "What I said to the White House counsel ultimately was that I was neutral on this because I didn't have a factual basis to make a determination as to whether or not Mr. Quinn's contentions were in fact accurate, whether or not there had been a change in the law, a change in the applicable Justice Department regulations, and whether or not that was something that would justify the extraordinary grant of a pardon." An investigation led by House Government Reform Committee chairman Dan Burton concluded in a 2003 report covering 177 Clinton pardons that Holder had played a significant role in facilitating the Rich pardon, first by recommending the well-connected Jack Quinn to Rich's legal representatives, by failing to fully inform prosecutors of the pending pardon, and by eventually delivering a "neutral leaning favorable" opinion to Clinton from a position of authority. Holder has expressed some regret over his handling of the Rich pardon, stating "I wish I had done some things differently with regard to the Marc Rich matter. Specifically, I wish that I had ensured that the Department of Justice was more fully informed and involved in this pardon process", and called his own actions a "mistake".

Holder was also involved in Clinton's decision to reduce the criminal sentences of 16 members of the Boricua Popular Army, an organization that has been categorized by the FBI as a terrorist organization. The clemency request was initially opposed in 1996 by U.S. Pardons Attorney Margaret Love. When Holder was elevated to Deputy Attorney General in 1997, he was asked to reexamine the issue by three members of Congress. In July 1999, Holder recommended clemency to Clinton with a report from then U.S. Pardons Attorney Roger Adams that neither supported nor opposed clemency. A month later, Clinton granted clemency. According to ''The Hartford Courant'', the grant of clemency was unusual because it was opposed by the FBI, the federal prosecutor and the victims. According to the newspaper, it was also unusual because before the commutations, the Boricua Popular Army members were not required to repudiate their actions and were not asked to provide any information concerning the whereabouts of Victor Manuel Gerena, a co-conspirator and one of the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, or the millions of dollars stolen by the group in a 1983 robbery of Wells Fargo in West Hartford, Connecticut.

Private practice

From 2001 until he became Attorney General, Holder worked as an attorney at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., representing clients such as Merck and the National Football League. He represented the NFL during its dog fighting investigation against Michael Vick.

In 2004, Holder helped negotiate an agreement with the Justice Department for Chiquita Brands International in a case that involved Chiquita's payment of "protection money" to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, a group on the U.S. government's list of terrorist organizations. In the agreement, Chiquita's officials pleaded guilty and paid a fine of $25 million. Holder represented Chiquita in the civil action that grew out of this criminal case.

In March 2004, Holder and Covington & Burling were hired by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to act as a special investigator to the Illinois Gaming Board. The Gaming Board had voted 4-1 earlier that month to allow a casino to be built in Rosemont, Illinois. That vote defied the recommendation of the board's staff, which had raised concerns about alleged organized-crime links to the Rosemont casino's developer. The move had also raised concerns that the governor had named his close friend and fund-raiser, Christopher Kelly, as a "special government agent" to be involved in official state negotiations about the casino. Holder's legal work for the State of Illinois never materialized when the board reversed its decision and refused to hire Kelly. The investigation was subsequently canceled on May 18, 2004.

The firm represented Guantanamo inmates but Holder "never participated directly in the firm's Guantanamo work", and is not expected to recuse himself from matters pertaining to it.

While ''D.C. v. Heller'' was being heard by the Supreme Court in 2008, Holder joined the Reno-led amicus brief, which urged the Supreme Court to uphold Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban and said the position of the Department of Justice, from Franklin Roosevelt through Clinton, was that the Second Amendment does not protect an individual right to keep and bear arms for purposes unrelated to a State’s operation of a well-regulated militia. Holder said that overturning the 1976 law "opens the door to more people having more access to guns and putting guns on the streets."

In 2008, Holder represented the wife of Robert Wone, victim of a controversial and unsolved 2006 murder.

In late 2007, Holder joined then-United States Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign as a senior legal advisor. He served on Obama's vice presidential selection committee.

Holder favors closing the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, although he said in 2002 that the detainees are not technically entitled to Geneva Convention protections. He is opposed to the Bush administration's implementation of the Patriot Act, saying it is "bad ultimately for law enforcement and will cost us the support of the American people." He has been critical of Enhanced interrogation techniques and the NSA warrantless surveillance program, accusing the Bush administration of a "disrespect for the rule of law... [that is] not only wrong, it is destructive in our struggle against terrorism."

Attorney General of the United States

On December 1, 2008, Obama announced that Holder would be his nominee for Attorney General. He was formally nominated on January 20, 2009 and approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 28. Following his confirmation by the full Senate on February 2, 2009, he became the first African-American Attorney General of the United States. His installation took place on March 27, 2009 at the Lisner Auditorium of the George Washington University.

During his confirmation hearings in the Senate, Holder agreed with Senator Patrick Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, that a technique used by U.S. interrogators under the Bush administration known as waterboarding is torture. Holder was confirmed by a 75-21 vote on February 2, 2009.

Holder gave a speech on race relations on February 18, 2009, in the midst of Black History Month, in which he called the United States "a nation of cowards" on racial issues. "Though race-related issues continue to occupy a significant portion of our political discussion and though there remain many unresolved racial issues in this nation, we average Americans simply do not talk enough with each other about race," he said. The speech stirred mild controversy, with some reacting favorably to Holder's comments and others sharply criticizing them. Obama rebuked Holder's comments, saying that “I think it’s fair to say that if I had been advising my attorney general, we would have used different language”.

When questioned about weapons regulations during a news conference to announce the arrest of Mexican drug cartel members, Holder stated that the Obama administration would seek to re-institute the expired Assault Weapons Ban, which he strongly supports.

After the U.S. government filed suit against the Swiss bank UBS AG, whom Holder had represented during his time in private practice, the attorney general recused himself from all legal matters concerning the bank, which stands accused of conspiracy in U.S. tax fraud.

On April 1, 2009, Holder announced that he had ordered the dismissal of the indictment against former Senator Ted Stevens on corruption charges. Stevens had been found guilty, but hadn't been sentenced; Holder's action effectively vacated Stevens' conviction. Holder was reportedly very angry that the prosecutors had withheld potentially exculpatory evidence from Stevens' attorneys. After the prosecutors had been held in contempt of court for failing to turn over required documents, Holder replaced the entire trial team. Soon afterward, the Justice Department discovered a previously undocumented interview with Bill Allen, the prosecution's star witness. In this interview, Allen gave statements that directly contradicted his testimony at trial, including a claim that he'd been asked to get a note for a repair bill on his house. By nearly all accounts, Holder wanted to send a message that he would not tolerate any behavior he deemed to be prosecutorial misconduct.

Holder presented friend and predecessor Janet Reno, Attorney General under the Clinton Administration, the American Judicature Society's (AJS) Justice Award on April 17, 2009. The award is the highest given by the AJS, and recognizes significant contributions toward improvements in the administration of justice within the United States.

On November 13, 2009, Holder announced that accused September 11 attack conspirators Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Ramzi Bin al-Shibh, Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi would be transferred from the military commission system to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for trial. He also expressed confidence that an impartial jury would be found "to ensure a fair trial in New York".

Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 14, 2010, "No final decision has been made about the forum which Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants will be tried. As I said at the outset, this is a very close call."

However, in early April 2011 Holder announced that the 9/11 co-conspirators will be tried by a military tribunal. "Holder said that he believes the trials could have been held in New York or Virginia, but that Congress imposed restrictions on where the trial could be held, taking the decision from his hands."

In May 2010 Holder expressed "concerns" about "Arizona’s tough new immigration law", saying that it might "lead to racial profiling". Holder was criticized for his testimony during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, when he said that he had "not read" the Arizona law and that he had formed his opinions on the basis of news reports. In July 2010, Holder stated that the Justice Department filed suit against the Arizona law because it is preempted by federal law. Holder was quoted as saying, "I understand, first off, the frustration of the people of Arizona and the concerns that they have with regard to the amount of illegal immigration that occurs, but the solution that the Arizona legislature came up with is inconsistent with our federal Constitution."

In July 2010, Holder flew to Kampala, Uganda, to address the Heads of State Summit of the African Union, where he discussed the Obama Administration's priorities with regards to Africa and the terrorist bombings in Kampala during the World Cup.

Before the November 2010 elections, Holder stated that he planned to prosecute people in California if they possess marijuana even if Californian voters passed a proposition legalizing marijuana (Proposition 19). Proposition 19 was ultimately defeated.

After the United States diplomatic cables leak in December 2010, Holder said that "We have an active, ongoing, criminal investigation with regard to this matter," Holder said. "We are not in a position as yet to announce the result of that investigation, but the investigation is--is ongoing. To the extent that we can find anybody who was involved in the breaking of American law and who has put at risk the assets and the people that I have described, they will be held responsible," Holder said. "They will be held accountable." Holder's comments leave open a crucial question, which is whether the investigators are looking at how WikiLeaks obtained the documents (not unlike probing a news organization's source), or if they're looking at whether WikiLeaks staffers violated criminal law and should be the ones indicted.

In March 2011 Holder left open the possibility that the Guantánamo Bay terrorist prison camp might live on beyond President Obama’s first term. Asked in a congressional hearing whether the prison would be closed by November 2012, Holder said: "I don’t know". He said the Justice Department has established a task force to look at each of the 172 detainees being held at the Guantánamo prison to address how they should be dealt with. Holder’s comments come just weeks after CIA Director Leon Panetta told a Senate panel that Osama bin Laden would probably be shipped to and held at the Guantánamo Bay facility if he were captured.

Controversy

In May 2009, Holder's Department of Justice ended a civil suit originally brought by the Bush administration against the New Black Panther Party, its chairman, and two of its members for voter intimidation due to their conduct during the 2008 election. Two members of the party had stood outside a polling station during the election in paramilitary uniforms, one of them carrying a billy club, and both shouted racial insults at white voters. Although none of the defendants appeared in court to contest the charges, the department of justice voluntarily dropped the charges against the party, its chairman, and one of the two members who had stood outside the polling station, and obtained a narrow injunction against the other. While the Department of Justice has contended that the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence, several of its current and former members have stated that Holder's Department of Justice is unwilling to prosecute minorities for civil rights violations. This accusation has been made most notably by J. Christian Adams, who in May 2010 resigned his post at the Department of Justice out of protest, and by his former supervisor Christopher Coates.

J. Christian Adams and former Bush appointee Hans A. von Spakovsky have also accused the civil rights division in Holder's Department of Justice of inactivity and wastefulness. According to Adams and von Spakovsky, although the voting section has hired dozens of new attorneys, the number of actual cases filed has declined sharply since Holder took office, and many of its employees spend their time "playing computer Solitaire, watching videos, and venting at the lack of activity."

Holder has faced additional controversy for the Obama Administration's decision that his Department of Justice would no longer enforce certain provisions of the Defense of Marriage Act, which Representative Frank Wolf has described as a "decision to abandon your duty to defend this law." During a meeting with a House subcommittee discussing this and other issues, Holder has argued that the behavior from the New Black Panther Party was not comparable to historical voter intimidation against minorities, stating "When you compare what people endured in the South in the ’60s to try to get the right to vote for African Americans, to compare what people subjected to that with what happened in Philadelphia… I think does a great disservice to people who put their lives on the line for my people." Critics have interpreted this comment as evidence of racial bias on Holder's part, arguing "If he approaches the job with the attitude that any group smaller than all Americans is 'my people,' he is the wrong man for the position."

House oversight committee Chairman Darrell Issa and Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley sent Holder a letter in May 2011 asking for details about Project Gunrunner, the ATF operation that sent thousands guns to Mexican drug cartels. Tax money may have been used to purchase the guns Grassley and Issa, "have urged Holder to cooperate and turn over subpoenaed records that would reveal the scope of the government coverup."

Personal life

Holder is married to Dr. Sharon Malone, an obstetrician; the couple have three children. Malone's sister was Vivian Malone Jones, famous for her part in the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door which led to integration at the University of Alabama. Holder has been involved with various mentoring programs for inner-city youths. He is also an avid basketball fan.

Awards

In June 2009 the Government of Barbados announced that it would begin a project to determine the first 100 Great Barbadians which would be selected among the public of Barbados. At the announcement of the project it was announced that Eric Holder was the first candidate to be nominated toward the final list.

On May 16, 2010, Eric Holder presented the commencement address at Boston University, for both the All-University Ceremony and the School of Law. In addition, he was presented with an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree. On May 19, 2009, Holder was chosen by his alma mater, Columbia College, to be its Class Day Speaker.

References

Further reading

External links

Profile at the United States Department of Justice

Answers.com

Columbia University

Covington & Burling

The History Makers

Homeland Security Policy Institute

Eric Holder's federal campaign contribution report at NewsMeat

Holder Speech at Department of Justice African American History Month Program Feb. 18, 2009

Authenticated text, audio, video of Eric Holder Speech at the Department of Justice African American History Month Program AmericanRhetoric.com

Attorney General Holder Speech to the African Union Summit July 2010

Will Eric Holder Be the Anti-Torture Hero? by Andy Worthington, ''The Huffington Post'', July 12, 2009

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{{infobox senator | name	Lindsey Graham
jr/sr	Senior Senator
state	South Carolina
party	Republican
term start	January 3, 2003
alongside	Jim DeMint
preceded	Strom Thurmond
succeeded	Incumbent
state2	South Carolina
district2	3rd
term start2	January 3, 1995
term end2	January 3, 2003
preceded2	Butler Derrick
succeeded2	J. Gresham Barrett
birth date	July 09, 1955
birth place	Central, South Carolina
occupation	Attorney
residence	Seneca, South Carolina
alma mater	University of South Carolina (B.A., J.D.)
religion	Southern Baptist
website	Senator Lindsey Graham
Branch	United States Air Force
Serviceyears	1982 – 1988 (active)1988 – present (reserve)
Rank	Colonel
Unit	Judge Advocate General's Corps
Battles	Gulf WarIraq WarWar in Afghanistan
Awards	}}

Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is the senior U.S. Senator from South Carolina and a member of the Republican Party. Previously he served as the U.S. Representative for .

Early life, education and career

Graham was born in Central, South Carolina, where his parents, Millie and Florence James Graham, ran a liquor store, the Sanitary Cafe. After graduating from D. W. Daniel High School, Graham became the first member of his family to attend college and joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. When he was 21 his mother died, and his father died 15 months later. Because his sister was left orphaned, the service allowed Graham to attend University of South Carolina in Columbia so he could be near home and care for his sister, whom he adopted. During his studies, he became a member of the fraternity Pi Kappa Phi.

Graham graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in Psychology in 1977 and from the University of South Carolina School of Law with a J.D. in 1981. Upon graduating, Graham was sent to Europe as a military prosecutor, and eventually entered private practice as a lawyer.

Military service

Graham decided to join the United States Air Force in 1982, and served on active duty until 1988. Following his departure he stayed in the military, joining the South Carolina Air National Guard and the U.S. Air Force Reserve. During the Gulf War, he was recalled to active duty, serving as a Judge Advocate at McEntire Air National Guard Station in Eastover, South Carolina, where he helped brief departing pilots on the laws of war.

In 2004, Graham received a promotion to Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserves at a White House ceremony officiated by President George W. Bush.

Graham served in Iraq as a reservist on active duty for short periods during April and two weeks in August 2007, where he worked on detainee and rule-of-law issues. He also served in Afghanistan during the August 2009 Senate recess.

Through 2010, Graham served as a senior instructor for the Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Air Force.

South Carolina House of Representatives

In 1992, Graham was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives from a district in Oconee County, and served one term.

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

During his service in the House, Graham served on the following committees:

Committee on International Relations, 1995–1998

Committee on Education and the Workforce, 1995–2002

Committee on the Judiciary, 1997–2002

Committee on Armed Services, 1999–2002

In Congress, Graham became a member of the Judiciary Committee during the impeachment of President Bill Clinton in 1998. Graham opposed some articles, but vigorously supported others. In January and February 1999, after two impeachment articles had been passed by the full House, he was one of the managers who brought the House's case to Clinton's trial in the Senate which did not convict Clinton.

U.S. Senate

Committee assignments

Committee on Armed Services

*Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities

*Subcommittee on Personnel (Ranking Member)

*Subcommittee on Strategic Forces

Committee on the Budget

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

*Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia

*Ad Hoc Subcommittee on State, Local, and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration

*Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery (Ranking Member)

*Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight

Committee on the Judiciary

*Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts

*Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs (Ranking Member)

*Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law

*Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights

Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Special Committee on Aging

Previous assignments

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, 2003–2005

Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, 2007–2009

Select Committee on Intelligence, 2007–2009

Caucus memberships

International Conservation Caucus

Senate National Guard Caucus (Co-Chair)

Sportsmen's Caucus

Graham is a member of the board of directors of the International Republican Institute.

Alito confirmation hearings

During the Judiciary Committee's confirmation hearings for the nomination of Samuel Alito to the United States Supreme Court, a question arose concerning Alito's membership in a Princeton University organization which some said was sexist and racist. Alito "deplored" racist comments made by the organization's founder. While Graham said that Alito may be saying this because he wanted the nomination, he concluded that he had no reason to believe that because "you seem to be a decent, honorable man." Alito's wife and sister characterized Graham's statements as supportive.

Political positions

Though Graham's stances are often politically conservative, he has gained a reputation for sometimes speaking out against or criticizing the party line, as well as being open to making economical decisions, such as was demonstrated with his support for bank bailouts. Graham notably supported John McCain's presidential bid in 2000, and served as national co-chairman of McCain's 2008 presidential bid.

Free speech

During an appearance on ''Face the Nation'' on April 3, 2011, Graham "suggested that Congress take unspecified though formal action against the Koran-burning by Florida preacher Terry Jones," in light of an attack on United Nations personnel triggered by Jones' actions. In asserting that "Congress might need to explore the need to limit some forms of freedom of speech," Graham argued that "Free speech is a great idea, but we’re in a war," and claimed that "during World War II, we had limits on what you could say if it would inspire the enemy."

Gang of 14

On May 23, 2005, Graham was one of the Gang of 14 senators to forge a compromise that brought a halt to the continued blockage of an up or down vote on judicial nominees. This compromise negated both the Democrats' use of a filibuster and the Republican "nuclear option" as described in the media. Under the agreement, the Democrats would retain the power to filibuster a Bush judicial nominee only in an "extraordinary circumstance", and three conservative Bush appellate court nominees (Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen and William Pryor) would receive a vote by the full Senate.

Detainee interrogations

In July 2005, Graham secured the declassification and release of memoranda outlining concerns made by senior military lawyers as early as 2003 about the legality of the interrogations of prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay.

In response to this and a June 2004 U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing detainees to file habeas corpus petitions to challenge their detentions, Graham authored an amendment to a Department of Defense Authorization Act attempting to clarify the authority of American courts which passed in November 2005 by a vote of 49-42 in the Senate despite opposition from human rights groups and legal scholars because of the lack of rights it provides detainees.

Graham has said he amended the Department of Defense Authorization Act in order to give military lawyers, as opposed to politically appointed lawyers, a more independent role in the oversight of military commanders. He has argued that two of the largest problems leading to the detainee abuse scandals at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib were this lack of oversight and troops' confusion over legal boundaries.

Graham further explains that military lawyers had long observed the provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Geneva Convention, but that those provisions had not been considered by the Bush administration in decisions regarding the treatment of detainees in Guantanamo Bay. He has claimed that better legal oversight within the military’s chain of command will prevent future detainee abuse.

The Graham amendment was itself amended by Democratic Senator Carl Levin so that it would not strip the courts of their jurisdiction in cases like ''Hamdan v. Rumsfeld'' that had already been granted cert; this compromise version passed by a vote of 84-14, though it did little to satisfy many critics of the original language. The Graham-Levin amendment, combined with Republican Senator John McCain's amendment banning torture, became known as the Detainee Treatment Act and attempted to limit interrogation techniques to those in the U.S. Army Field Manual of Interrogation. Verbal statements by Senators at the time of the amendment's passage indicated that Congress believed that Levin's changes would protect the courts' jurisdiction over cases like ''Hamdan'', though Levin and his cosponsor Kyl placed in the Congressional Record a statement indicating that there would be no change.

In February 2006, Graham joined Senator Jon Kyl in filing an amicus brief in the Hamdan v. Rumsfeld case that argued "Congress was aware" that the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 would strip the Supreme Court of jurisdiction to hear "pending cases, including this case" brought by the Guantanamo detainees.

In a May 2009 CNN interview, Graham referred to the domestic internment of German and Japanese prisoners of war and US Citizens as a model for domestic detention of Guantanamo detainees by saying, "We had 450,000 Japanese and German prisoners housed in the United States during World War II. As a nation, we can deal with this."

Immigration reform

Graham has been a supporter of "comprehensive immigration reform" and of S. 2611, the McCain-Kennedy Immigration Reform Bill of 2006 as well as S. 1348 of 2007, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007.

His positions on immigration, and in particular collaborating with Senator Ted Kennedy, earned Graham the ire of conservative activists. Graham responded by saying, "We are going to solve this problem. We're not going to run people down. We're not going to scapegoat people. We're going to tell the bigots to shut up, and we're going to get this right." The controversy prompted conservative activists to support a primary challenge in 2008 by longtime Republican national committeeman Buddy Witherspoon, but Graham won the nomination by a large margin.

On July 28, 2010, however, Graham seemed to offer multiple concessions to the more conservative wing of his party when, during an interview on the Fox News Channel program ''On The Record With Greta Van Susteren'', he suggested that U.S. citizenship as an automatic birthright — guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution — was "a mistake", that the Constitution should be amended to reflect this view, and that any child born of illegal immigrants inside the borders of the United States should themselves be considered illegal immigrants. "Birthright citizenship I think is a mistake," explained Graham. "We should change our Constitution and say if you come here illegally and you have a child, that child's automatically not a citizen." He did not suggest, however, what his alternate criteria would be - if any - for gaining citizenship by birth. He continued to suggest that all immigrants should be compelled by law to learn English, another new position for Graham.

Second Amendment

Graham has been given an A rating by the NRA and a B rating by the Gun Owners of America.

Health care

Graham opposed President Barack Obama's health reform legislation; he voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009, and he voted against the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Graham is a cosponsor of the Healthy Americans Act.

Same-sex marriage

As a member of the House of Representatives, in 1996 Graham voted for the Defense of Marriage Act. As a Senator, in 2004 he voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment. He received a rating of 0% from the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign in each reporting period from 1995-2008, with the exception of 1999, when he received a rating of 9%.

Climate change

On December 10, 2009, Graham co-sponsored a letter to President Barack Obama along with Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman announcing their commitment to passing a climate change bill and outlining its framework. Graham has been identified as a leading supporter of passing a climate change bill and was thought to be a likely sponsor for the final bill. The Senators have identified a green economy, clean air, energy independence, consumer protection, increasing nuclear power and regulating the world's carbon market as the key features to a successful climate change bill. In response to Senate Democrats shifting their priorities to immigration issues, a reaction to Arizona's passage of an anti-undocumented immigrant law, Senator Graham withdrew his support for the climate bill, leaving its passage in doubt.

In June 2010, however, Graham told reporters that "The science about global warming has changed. I think they've oversold this stuff, quite frankly. I think they've been alarmist and the science is in question. The whole movement has taken a giant step backward." He also stated that he planned to vote against the climate bill that he had originally co-sponsored, citing further restriction of offshore drilling added to the bill and the bill's impact on transportation.

Foreign policy

Graham has supported an interventionist foreign policy. On November 6, 2010 at the Halifax International Security Forum, he called for a pre-emptive military strike to "neuter" the Iranian regime. He has also argued that "the U.S. needs to keep at least 10,000 troops in Iraq into 2012," saying that "If we're not smart enough to work with the Iraqis to have 10,000 to 15,000 American troops in Iraq in 2012, Iraq could go to hell."

In August 2011, Graham co-sponsored with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen Senate Resolution 175, wherewith he contended that "Russia's invasion of Georgian land in 2008 was an act of aggression, not only to Georgia but to all new democracies." The claim that Russia instigated the aggression in South Ossetia, however, has been contradicted by many observers, including a European Union investigation. The resolution passed unanimously.

He is an advisor to the Atlantic Bridge.

Political campaigns

In 1994, Graham was elected to the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina's 3rd congressional district in the northwestern part of the state after 20-year incumbent Butler Derrick retired. With U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond campaigning on his behalf, Graham won by a large margin, becoming the first Republican to represent this district since 1877. The margin came as something of a surprise; none of the 3rd's living residents had ever been represented by a Republican before. In his first reelection bid, in 1996, Debbie Dorn, daughter of longtime 3rd District congressman W.J. Bryan Dorn and Derrick's niece, challenged Graham. However, Graham turned back this challenge fairly easily, winning by almost 20 points. He was unopposed for reelection in 1998 and handily defeated an underfunded Democrat in 2000.

In 2002, upon Thurmond's retirement, Graham defeated his Democratic opponent, Alex Sanders, the former president of the College of Charleston. Graham became South Carolina's first new Senator since 1965, and the state's first freshman Republican Senator since Reconstruction when sanctions were imposed on South Carolina by Radical Republicans. Graham served as Junior Senator for only two years, serving with U.S. Senator Ernest "Fritz" Hollings. Graham became Senior Senator in 2005 when Jim DeMint won election to Hollings's seat. In 2008, Graham was easily reelected against North Myrtle Beach native Bob Conley.

Electoral history

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%" |+ : Results 1994–2000 !|Year ! !|Democrat !|Votes !|Pct ! !|Republican !|Votes !|Pct ! !|3rd Party !|Party !|Votes !|Pct ! |- |1994 | | | | align="right" |59,932 | |40% | | | | align="right" |90,123 | |60% | | | | | | |* |- |1996 | | |Debbie Dorn | align="right" |73,417 | |39% | | |Lindsey Graham | align="right" |114,273 | |60% | | |Lindal Pennington | |Natural Law | align="right" |1,835 | align="right" |1% | |- |1998 | | |''(no candidate)'' | align="right" | | | | | |Lindsey Graham | align="right" |129,047 | |100% | | |Write-ins | | | align="right" |402 | align="right" |<1% | |- |2000 | | |(On United Citizens line)(Total) | align="right" |64,9172,25367,170 | |29% 1%30% | | |Lindsey Graham | align="right" |150,180 | |68% | | |Adrian Banks | |Libertarian | align="right" |3,116 | align="right" |1% | |*

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%" |+ Senate elections in South Carolina (Class II): Results 2002–2008 !|Year ! !|Democrat !|Votes !|Pct ! !|Republican !|Votes !|Pct ! !|3rd Party !|Party !|Votes !|Pct ! !|3rd Party !|Party !|Votes !|Pct ! |- |2002 | | | | align="right" |487,359 | |44% | | | | align="right" |600,010 | |54% | | |Ted Adams | |Constitution | align="right" |8,228 | align="right" |1% | | |Victor Kocher | |Libertarian | align="right" |6,648 | align="right" |1% | |* |- |2008 | | | | align="right" |785,559 | |42% | | |Lindsey Graham | align="right" |1,069,137 | |58% | | |Write-ins | | | align="right" |608 | align="right" |<1% | | | | | |

Personal life

Graham has never been married and, when questioned by Robert Draper of the ''New York Times'', said, "I know it's really going to upset a lot of gay men—I'm sure hundreds of them are going to be jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge—but I ain't available; I ain't gay. Sorry."

References

External links

United States Senator Lindsey Graham ''official U.S. Senate site''

Lindsey Graham for U.S. Senate ''official campaign site''

Profile from the ''Senate Republican Caucus''

Profile at SourceWatch

"Swing Conservative: The perilous bipartisanship of Lindsey Graham." ''Washington Monthly'', April 2005

"The American Ghosts of Abu Ghraib", Sam Provance, ''Consortium News'', March 27.2007

{{U.S. Senator box | before=Strom Thurmond | after= Incumbent | state=South Carolina | class=2 | years=2003–present | alongside=Ernest Hollings, Jim DeMint}}

Category:1955 births Category:American military personnel of the Iraq War Category:American prosecutors Category:Living people Category:International Republican Institute Category:Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina Category:People from Pickens County, South Carolina Category:South Carolina lawyers Category:South Carolina Republicans Category:Southern Baptists Category:United States Air Force officers Category:United States Senators from South Carolina Category:University of South Carolina alumni Category:Republican Party United States Senators

de:Lindsey Graham fr:Lindsey Graham la:Lindsey Graham nl:Lindsey Graham no:Lindsey Graham pl:Lindsey Graham pt:Lindsey Graham ru:Грэм, Линдси sh:Lindsey Graham fi:Lindsey Graham sv:Lindsey Graham

name	Dan Burton
birth date	June 21, 1938
birth place	Indianapolis, Indiana
state	Indiana
district	5th
term start	January 3, 2003
preceded	Steve Buyer
succeeded	Incumbent
state2	Indiana
district2	6th
term start2	January 3, 1983
term end2	January 3, 2003
preceded2	David W. Evans
succeeded2	Mike Pence
party	Republican
religion	Christian Churches/Churches of Christ
spouse	Samia Tawil
alma mater	Cincinnati Christian University
occupation	insurance agent, real estate broker
residence	Indianapolis, Indiana
branch	United States Army
serviceyears	1956-1962 }}

Danny "Dan" Lee Burton (born June 21, 1938) is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the , serving since 1983. He is a member of the Republican Party.

The district includes most of the northern suburbs of Indianapolis as well as the southern fringe of the Fort Wayne area: Tipton, Grant, Miami, Wabash, Huntington, Hamilton, and Hancock counties, and parts of Marion, Shelby, Howard and Johnson counties.

Early life, education and career

Burton was born in Indianapolis, the son of Charles and Bonnie (née Hardesty) Burton. His father, a former policeman was abusive to his mother and never held a job for very long. The family moved constantly, living in trailer parks, cabins, and motels. In June 1950, some years after the couple divorced, his mother went to the police and got a restraining order against his father. He responded by kidnapping Burton's mother. Burton and his younger brother and sister were briefly sent to the Marion County Children's Guardian Home. After his mother escaped, Burton's father went to jail for two years. Burton's mother remarried, and Burton and his younger brother and sister had happier teenage years.

Burton worked as a caddy at a local country club in order to make ends meet, where he learned the golf skills that lead to his winning a statewide golf championship in high school. He graduated from Shortridge High School in 1957, and attended Indiana University (1958–59) and the Cincinnati Bible Seminary (now known as Cincinnati Christian University) (1959–60). He served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1957, before leaving active duty to return to college but remained in the Army Reserves from 1957 to 1962. After school, Burton became a real estate broker and he founded the Dan Burton Insurance Agency in 1968.

Burton is a 33° Scottish Rite Freemason, and a member of Evergreen-Oriental Lodge No. 500 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Congressman Burton is a member of the Board of Advisors of THE INSTITUTE on Religion and Public Policy.

Indiana Legislature

Burton was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives from 1967 to 1968 and again from 1977 to 1980 and the Indiana State Senate from 1969 to 1970 and again from 1981 to 1982.

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

Committee on Foreign Affairs

*Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific

*Subcommittee on Europe and Eurasia (Chairman)

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

*Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives

*Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations

Caucus memberships

Autism

Automotive

Bipartisan Disabilities

Biotechnology

Cancer Care Working Group (CCWG)

Coalition for Autism Research and education (CARE)

Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) - Co-Chairman*

Congressional Bipartisan Cerebral Palsy - Founder & Chairman

Congressional Anti-Terrorist Financing Task Force

Congressional Caucus on the European Union

Congressional Caucus on Global Road Safety

Republican Study Committee

Congressional Diabetes

Congressional Fire Services

Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus

Congressional Taskforce Against Anti-Semitism

Distributed Energy

Farmer Cooperative

French

Friends of Denmark

Friends of New Zealand Congressional

Friends of Norway

House Republican Israel

Human Rights

Hungary

Immigration Reform

Indonesia - Co-Founder and Co-Chairman*

Insurance - Chairman

International Conservation Caucus

I-69

Israel Allies Caucus

Malaria Caucus

Malaysia Trade, Security, and Economic Cooperation

Manufacturing

Medical Malpractice Crisis Task Force

Methamphetamine

Missing and Exploited Children's

National Guard & Reserve Components

National Spina Bifida

Republican Study Committee

Serbian Congressional Caucus - Co-Chairman*

Sportsmen's Caucus

Tea Party Caucus

Taiwan

Textile

US-Israel Security

Victim's Rights

* Zoo

Political positions

Helms-Burton Legislation

In 1995, Burton authored legislation targeting foreign companies that did business with Cuba. The bill allowed foreign companies to be sued in American courts if, in dealings with the government of Fidel Castro, they acquired assets formerly owned by Americans. In February 1996, Cuba shot down two small Brothers to the Rescue planes piloted by anti-Castro Cuban-Americans. As part of the White House response to crack down on Cuba, President Clinton signed the Helms-Burton Act into law.

Conservative voting record

Burton is a consistent Conservative vote in the US House. In the 109th Congress, he had a 100% rating from the National Right to Life Committee. He also has an A rating with the Gun Owners of America.

Burton has received a number of awards from conservative groups, including a Friend of the Farm Bureau award in 2004 from the American Farm Bureau Federation, a True Blue award in 2006 the Family Research Council, eight Guardian of Small Business Awards from the National Federation of Independent Business and twenty-two Spirit of Enterprise awards from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The Government Performance and Results Act

Burton was the primary sponsor for a 1998 effort, opposed by the Clinton administration, to require federal government agencies to do more strategic planning, establish more accountability measurements, and do more reporting on their performance. H.R. 2883, the "Government Performance and Results Act Amendments", was not enacted into law.

Exposing the Winter Hill Gang/FBI Corruption

In his role as Chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee, Burton helped expose FBI corruption that led to the wrongful conviction of Joseph Salvati, Peter Limone, Henry Tameleo and Louis Greco for the murder of Edward "Teddy" Deegan. The three year investigation that Burton spearheaded helped exonerate the four, who were eventually awarded $102 million by Boston Federal Judge Nancy Gertner.

Republican Study Committee

Burton served as chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a caucus of conservative House Republicans, during the 101st Congress. After Newt Gingrich yanked funding for the group in 1995, Burton joined fellow congressmen John Doolittle of California, Ernest Istook of Oklahoma and Sam Johnson of Texas in refounding it as the Conservative Action Team. The three men shared the chairmanship from 1994 to 1999. In 2001, the CAT regained its original name, the RSC.

Vaccines and autism

Burton has been an outspoken critic of what he terms the failure of government to determine the cause of an alleged autism epidemic. His grandson became autistic a few days after receiving nine inoculations. "My only grandson became autistic right before my eyes – shortly after receiving his federally recommended and state-mandated vaccines."

Burton was instrumental in pressuring the National Institutes of Health to launch a five-year, $30 million study of chelation therapy for cardiovascular disease."

In an October 25, 2000, letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, acting in his role as Chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform, Burton asked the agency's director to get the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to recall all vaccines containing the preservative Thimerosal. "We all know and accept that mercury is a neurotoxin, and yet the FDA has failed to recall the 50 vaccines that contain Thimerosal," Burton wrote, adding "Every day that mercury-containing vaccines remain on the market is another day HHS is putting 8,000 children at risk."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not agree that vaccines containing mercury caused autism, and the US FDA refused to ban the vaccines. Most manufacturers removed the preservatives from their vaccines anyway, with no resulting decrease in autism rates.

Burton continues to maintain a page on his Congressional website called House.gov "Autism" which includes his speeches, transcripts from hearings, and newspaper articles on the relationship of autism and vaccines.

Political campaigns

Burton first ran for Congress in 1970, losing to Democratic incumbent Andrew Jacobs, Jr. Burton ran again in 1972, losing in the Republican primary to William Hudnut.

After the 1980 census, the Republican-controlled state legislature reconfigured the 6th District into a heavily Republican district focused on the suburbs north of Indianapolis. Burton ran in 1982, defeating Bruce Melchert in the GOP primary and Democrat George Grabianowski in the general election. Burton has won every election since 1982, usually getting well above 60 percent of the vote. His district was renumbered as the 5th District after the 2000 census.

In 2008, he faced a challenger in the Republican primary, Dr. John McGoff. Burton defeated McGoff 52% to 45% in the closest race of his career.

In the 2010 primary, he received less than 30%. He still retained the nomination, because the remainder of the vote was split among six separate challengers. The challengers were Luke Messer (28%), Dr. John McGoff again (19%), State Representative Mike Murphy (9%), Brose McVey (8%), Andy Lyons (4%) and Ann B. Adcock (3%).

Controversies

Vincent Foster

Burton was one of the most ardent opponents of President Bill Clinton. In 1998, he said, "If I could prove 10 percent of what I believe happened, he'd [Clinton] be gone. This guy's a scumbag. That's why I'm after him." Rep. Burton led the House inquiry into the death of Vincent Foster; he was convinced that Foster was murdered and urged extensive investigation into the possible involvement of the Clintons. Burton gained attention for re-enacting the alleged crime in his backyard with his own pistol and a pumpkin standing in for Foster's head. After hearings into Democratic fundraising (see section below) began, a Democratic National Committee staffer appeared in a pumpkin suit with a button that read, "Don't shoot." Burton's information during the Whitewater controversy was based on opposition research conducted by Floyd Brown, who founded Citizens United in 1988, which created the well-known Willie Horton attack ad against Michael Dukakis. Because of the problems with the quality of Brown's research and testimony, the investigation was closed.

Golfing

In 1990, the New York Times reported that in 1989, Burton had been a "celebrity player" at the Bob Hope Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., the Kemper Open in Potomac, Md., the Larry Bird Golf Classic in Indianapolis, the Danny Thompson Memorial tournament in Sun Valley, Idaho, the Sugarloaf Invitational tournament in Maine and the Arte Johnson tournament in Chicago. Such players received free airline flights, free meals, and free lodging from tournament sponsors and, often, free merchandise.

In November 1995, the House voted to prohibit members and their staffs from receiving gifts, including free meals and free travel to charity sports events. Burton, who led the effort to exempt charity trips, said that he played in two golf tournaments each year, and, "We get more of these lobbyists in our office than we do on the golf course."

In January 1997, Burton played in the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, at the invitation of AT&T;, the tournament sponsor. The day before the tournament, he played a practice round with Robert E. Allen, AT&T;'s chairman and chief executive, at a nearby country club. AT&T; also hosted a campaign fund-raising dinner for Burton at a local restaurant. Three weeks earlier, Burton had become the chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, which had jurisdiction over the legislative agency scheduled to soon award at least $5 billion in long-distance and local telephone and telecommunications contracts with the federal government. Burton defended his participation in the tournament, saying it would not affect his objectivity when dealing with telecommunications issues. He said that he had partially paid for the trip, with his re-election campaign funds paying as well because he attended three fund-raising events while in California.

In December 2004, Burton and two aides flew to the island of Guam. The trip was paid for by the Guam government and tourism industry. In addition to some official events, including touring a military facility, Burton played in a charity golf tournament. After he returned, he tried to help Guam's tourism industry get a sought-after change in visa rules.

In January 2007, the House passed a measure by a vote 430-1 that banned members from accepting gifts and free trips from lobbyists and discounted trips on private planes. Burton cast the sole nay vote.

In February 2007, a review by the Indianapolis Star of votes in the House of Representatives for the past decade showed that Burton had missed all votes during the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic golf tournament for five years between 2001 and 2007. The tournament, the third event each season on the PGA Tour, pairs celebrities with golf professionals for four of the five days of play. Since 2004, Burton has played in a guest spot of the Eisenhower Medical Center, the primary charitable beneficiary of the event. The slot carries with it a commitment to donate $10,000 to the event; Burton has made arrangements with the hospital to do this over a period of time. Burton's campaign committee reported donating $1,500 to the medical center in December 2004 and $6,353 in January 2006.

The Indianapolis Star review also found that in 2006, Burton ranked last in voting among members of Congress from Indiana, missing 11 percent of the 541 recorded votes. In 2007, the Indianapolis star rated his voting record as "one of the strongest in the House, with an attendance record consistently above 95%."

"... off the coast of Bolivia"

On March 29, 1995, during congressional hearings on the US War on Drugs, Burton proclaimed that the US military "should place an aircraft carrier off the coast of Bolivia and crop dust the coca fields." It was later pointed out to him that a) Bolivia is landlocked and has no coast (Burton was chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee); b) the Bolivian coca fields (in the yungas and Amazon lowlands) are beyond the reach of any carrier-borne crop-duster, being separated from the nearest coastline (the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile) by the 20,000+ feet high peaks of the Andes; and c) F-18s cannot crop-dust. While criticism of this mis-statement was muted in Washington, it sparked a major anti-American backlash in Bolivia, derailing the same War on Drugs that Burton purported to be speaking for.

Investigation of Democratic Party fund-raising

In 1997, Burton headed an investigation into possible Democratic Party campaign finance abuse, focusing on the 1996 Presidential election. The committee investigation ran for several years and issued over 1,000 subpoenas of Clinton administration officials and cost over $7 million. The committee, and Burton's leadership, were labeled a "farce", a "travesty", a "parody", and "its own cartoon, a joke, and a deserved embarrassment".

In March 1997, as the investigation began, Burton was accused of demanding a $5,000 contribution from a Pakistani lobbyist. The lobbyist said that when he was unable to raise the funds, Burton complained to the Pakistani ambassador and threatened to make sure "none of his friends or colleagues" would meet with the lobbyist or his associates.

In May 1998, Burton apologized for releasing edited transcripts of prison audiotapes of Webster Hubbell, a former associate of President Bill Clinton. The edited transcripts omitted substantial information and differed significantly from the original recordings. Burton was harshly criticized by members of his own party, including Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who called the investigation a "circus" and chided Burton for initially refusing to admit any error.

David Bossie, the staff member who arranged the editing and release of the tapes, resigned on Burton's request. Noting that Burton had personally released the tapes and had supported Bossie's plans over the objections of other committee staffers and attorneys, Democrats urged Burton to step down as well. Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt said, "A committee staff member should not be made the scapegoat for Chairman Burton's mistakes, missteps, and misdeeds." Burton said, "I take responsibility for those mistakes," but never resigned nor faced any consequences for his actions.

In President Clinton's final year in office, Burton was mentioned in a short film for the White House Correspondent's Dinner. ''President Clinton: Final Days'', which depicted Clinton as a lonely man closing down a nearly-deserted White House. Clinton is shown hitting golf balls from the South Lawn, and gets excited when he hits a car parked in a spot near the U.S. Capitol that says "Reserved for Chairman Burton."

Constituent mailings

An Arizona newspaper study ranked Burton as the fifth-biggest user of free congressional mail, sending constituents more than $190,000 worth of mail in 2007.

Daughter

In June 2007, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington reported that during the 2001-2006 period, Burton's campaign fund had paid $143,900 to his daughter Danielle Sarkins, who manages his campaign office. It is not illegal for federal candidates to pay family members for political work, as long as they are paid fair market value, the Federal Election Commission has ruled.

Personal life

Burton's first wife, Barbara (Logan) Burton, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993 at the age of 56. She died in 2002 after battling breast and colon cancer. They had three children together: Kelly, Danielle and Danny.

In 1995 speaking of the then recent affairs of Republican Robert Packwood and the unfolding affair of Democrat Bill Clinton Burton stated "No one, regardless of what party they serve, no one, regardless of what branch of government they serve, should be allowed to get away with these alleged sexual improprieties..." In 1998 the magazine Vanity Fair was to print an article detailing an affair which Burton himself had in 1983 which produced a child. Before publication Burton admitted to fathering a son with a former state employee.

In August 2006, Burton married Dr. Samia Tawil in Park City, Utah. She was the internist who cared for Burton's wife, Barbara, during her battle with cancer. Tawil and her first husband had divorced in 2005.

Burton's brother, Woody Burton, is a Republican member of the Indiana House of Representatives, representing District 58.

He is known as "Empty Burton makes much noise" among Indian activists for his stridency.

References

External links

U.S. Congressman Dan Burton ''official U.S. House site''

Dan Burton for Congress ''official campaign site''

Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana Category:Indiana State Senators Category:Cincinnati Christian University alumni Category:Members of the Indiana House of Representatives Category:Indiana Republicans Category:Indiana University alumni Category:People from Indianapolis, Indiana Category:1938 births Category:Living people Category:Autism activists Category:American members of the Churches of Christ

de:Dan Burton pl:Dan Burton sv:Dan Burton

name	Louie Gohmert
birth date	August 18, 1953
birth place	Pittsburg, Texas
state	Texas
district	1st
term start	January 3, 2005
preceded	Max Sandlin
succeeded	Incumbent
party	Republican
spouse	Kathy Gohmert
children	Katy, Caroline, and Sarah
religion	Southern Baptist
residence	Tyler, Texas
alma mater	Texas A&M; University, Baylor University
occupation	Congressman
Branch	United States Army
Serviceyears	1978–1982
Unit	Judge Advocate General's Corps }}

Louis Buller (Louie) Gohmert, Jr. (born August 18, 1953) is an American politician and current Republican U.S. Representative from Texas's 1st congressional district.

Life and career

Gohmert was born in Pittsburg, Texas. He received his B.A. from Texas A&M; University in 1975. At A&M;, he was a Brigade Commander of the Corps of Cadets. He later received his Juris Doctor from Baylor University in Waco in 1977. Gohmert served in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, at Fort Benning, Georgia, from 1978 to 1982.

Gohmert was elected as a state district judge for Texas's 7th Judicial District comprising Smith County (Tyler) in 1992 and was reelected two times before being appointed by Governor Rick Perry to fill a vacancy as Chief Justice on Texas's 12th Court of Appeals, where he served from 2002 to 2003. After Texas' 2003 mid-decade redistricting process, he successfully defeated Democratic incumbent 1st District Congressman Max Sandlin for his seat in Congress, becoming the first Republican since Reconstruction to represent the 1st District of northeast Texas. In the Republican primary, Gohmert defeated State Representative Wayne Christian of Center, who thereafter returned to the state legislature.

Gohmert serves on two House committees: Judiciary (because of his judicial background) and Natural Resources (as his district sits on top of the East Texas oil field).

In 2006, Gohmert won his second term by defeating independent Roger L. Owen, a swimming pool builder from Hallsville. He faced no major-party opposition in 2008.

Congressional activities

2008-2009

He offered an alternative plan to kick-start the economy with his tax holiday bill that would allow taxpayers to be exempt for two months from having federal income tax taken out of their paychecks.

On July 29, 2009, Gohmert signed on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 1503. This bill would "amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require the principal campaign committee of a candidate for election to the office of president to include with the committee's statement of organization a copy of the candidate's birth certificate, together with such other documentation as may be necessary to establish that the candidate meets the qualifications for eligibility to the office of president under the Constitution".

Controversies

"Terror babies"

On August 12, 2010, Gohmert appeared on Anderson Cooper 360° to defend recent comments he made on the floor of the House regarding "terror babies". Initially, Gohmert had claimed (in a speech made on the House floor in June 2010) that an ex-FBI agent had told him about "terror baby" plots. On Fox Business News, Gohmert had later claimed that an airline passenger with a relative in Hamas had a grandchild who was to be intentionally born in the United States. In the interview, Gohmert asserted that pregnant women from the Middle East are traveling to the US on tourist visas, planning to deliver the child there. According to the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, this automatically grants citizenship to the child. Gohmert asserted that the child would then be returned to the mother's home country and be submitted to a life of terrorist training. When repeatedly asked by the host for any evidence of this, Gohmert did not provide substantiation for either the ex-FBI agent story or the airline passenger story, but gave a description of a ''Washington Post'' article, which described so-called "birth tourism" packages, mainly directed at Chinese tourists. These packages, (one was described in the article for $14,750), were described by Gohmert as a "gaping hole in the security of our country". When asked by Cooper for the connection, Gohmert responded "If you don't think this is evidence, you have to believe that the terrorists are more stupid than these enterprising people". The Daily Show later parodied this incident.

"College Arts Director Firing Incident"

On October 27, 2010 former Arts Gallery Director Christian Cutler at Stephen F. Austin University appeared on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 to share his story about a recent run-in with Congressman Gohmert. Cutler claimed that in August 2010, someone from Congressman Gohmert’s staff called and asked him to judge an art competition about one and a half hours off campus in Tyler, Texas. Cutler stated he would love to do it. When Gohmert’s staff called back in September to follow up, Cutler says he told the staffer that he felt the Congressman was a “sensationalist” and a “fear monger” because since the last time he talked to Gohmert’s staff, he saw the Congressman’s appearance on Anderson Cooper 360 in which Gohmert talked about the existence of “terror babies” as a threat to national security.

On September 20, 2010 Cutler received a letter from the Congressman Gohmert, who had also CC’d the President of the university, stating “May God Grant you peace that passes all understanding so that one day your bitterness and intolerance diminishes to the point that you are able to tolerate even someone like me.” The letter also stated that Gohmert believed the competition was to be held at Stephen F. Austin University, not in Tyler, and that he would now have to find a different venue for the competition. Following the email, there was a string of correspondence between Cutler and his supervisors at the university. On September 28, Cutler was called into the Dean’s office and asked to resign, which he did.

Gohmert maintains that he did not want to get Cutler fired at all. "I did not ask nor desire that the Director of Art Galleries be dismissed and am not aware of all of the reasons for his dismissal," he said in a statement. "I did not know he would be fired, did not seek it, and do not know all of the reasons for it. If the things he is misrepresenting now are any indication of past performance, then his actions in this incident may have been the least of his employment problems." In the days following Gohmert’s email, two of Cutler’s supervisors called the incident the “last straw,” indicating that there might have already been some previous concerns over Cutler’s job performance. However, Cutler claims there was no tension between him and the university at all and that he received stellar job performance reports.

Implication that Obama is complicit in helping international Islamic caliphate

Speaking on the House floor on June 16, 2011, Rep. Gohmert stated: ‘’... I know the president made the mistake one day of saying he had visited all 57 states, and I'm well aware that there are not 57 states in this country. Although there are 57 members of OIC, the Islamic states in the world. Perhaps there was some confusion whether he had been to all the 57 Islamic states, as opposed to all 50 U.S. states. But, nonetheless, we have an obligation to the 50 American states, not the 57 Muslim, Islamic states. Our oath we took is in this body, in this House. And it's to the people of America. And it's not to the Muslim Brotherhood, who may very well take over Egypt and once they do, they are bent upon setting up a caliphate around the world, including the United States. And this administration will been [sic] complicit in helping people who wants [sic] to destroy our country’’.

Congressional committee assignments

Committee on the Judiciary

Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties

Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security

Task Force on Judicial Impeachment

Committee on Natural Resources

Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources

Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands

In addition Gohmert is a member of the Republican Study Committee and the Tea Party Caucus.

Caucus memberships

Israel Allies Caucus

International Conservation Caucus

Tea Party Caucus

References

External links

Official congressional website

Official campaign website

Profile at SourceWatch

;Articles

"Nine New Veterans Join Congress", Veterans of Foreign Wars Magazine

Video of Gohmert Criticizing Rep. John Murtha

Video of Gohmert Blaming Stock Market Failures on Democrats and Murtha

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Name	Jim Sensenbrenner
State	Wisconsin
District	5th
Party	Republican
Term start	January 3, 2003
Preceded	Tom Barrett
Succeeded	Incumbent
District2	9th
State2	Wisconsin
Term start2	January 3, 1979
Term end2	January 3, 2003
Preceded2	Bob Kasten
Succeeded2	district eliminated
Office3	Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee
Term start3	2001
Term end3	2007
Preceded3	Henry Hyde
Succeeded3	John Conyers
Office4	Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology
Term start4	1997
Term end4	2001
Preceded4	Bob Walker
Succeeded4	Sherwood Boehlert
Office5	Wisconsin State Senator
Term start5	1975
Term end5	1979
Office6	Wisconsin State Senate Assistant Minority Leader
Term start6	1977
Term end6	1979
Office7	Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Term start7	1969
Term end7	1975
Birth date	June 14, 1943
Birth place	Chicago, Illinois
Residence	Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
Alma mater	Stanford University, University of Wisconsin
Occupation	attorney
Religion	Anglican Catholic
Spouse	Cheryl Warren Sensenbrenner
Children	Frank SensenbrennerBob Sensenbrenner }}

Frank James (Jim) Sensenbrenner, Jr. (born June 14, 1943) is an American politician who has been a member of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives since 1979, representing (map). The district, the state's richest, includes many of Milwaukee's northern and western suburbs, and extends into rural Jefferson County. It was numbered as the 9th District until 2003. He has been a strong proponent of the Bush Administration's War on Terror.

He is the former Chairman of the House Science Committee and the former Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee; when the Republicans lost control of the House, he finished his six-year term as Chairman, and was not able to be chosen as the Judiciary Committee's ranking minority member (that honor went to Lamar S. Smith of Texas). He served as the Ranking Republican on the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming from 2007 to 2011, when Republicans abolished the committee after regaining control of the House.

Early life, education and career

Sensenbrenner was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a wealthy family. He was raised in Shorewood, Wisconsin, and attended the private Milwaukee Country Day School, from which he graduated in 1961. He matriculated at Stanford University and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science in 1965. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1968.

While at Stanford, Sensenbrenner served as staff assistant to California Congressman J. Arthur Younger.

Wisconsin Legislature

Sensenbrenner was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1968, the same year he graduated from law school. He was there until 1975, and in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1975 to early 1979.

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

Committee on the Judiciary

*Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security (Chairman)

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (Vice Chairman)

Caucus memberships

Congressional Coalition on Adoption

Congressional Grace Caucus

International Conservation Caucus

Political positions

In 1998, Sensenbrenner had an important role in the impeachment of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, acting as one of the House managers.

Sensenbrenner introduced the USA PATRIOT Act to the House on October 23, 2001. Sensenbrenner did not write the USA PATRIOT Act; the primary author was Assistant Attorney General of the United States Viet Dinh. In November 2004, Sensenbrenner and California Congressman Duncan Hunter objected to provisions of a bill that, among other things, created a Director of National Intelligence, a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission.

In 2005, Sensenbrenner authored the Real ID Act, which requires additional scrutiny of citizenship before issuing drivers' licenses and set forth certain requirements for state driver's licenses to make it more difficult for terrorists and criminals to alter their identity by counterfeiting documents. He attached the controversial act as a rider on military spending bill HR418. Subsequently, it was passed by the Senate without debate. In March 2005, Sensenbrenner sided firmly with the parents and siblings in the Terri Schiavo case, who fought unsuccessfully in the federal courts to secure home care of their mentally-damaged daughter.

Sensenbrenner believes in criminal prosecution of broadcasters and cable operators who violate decency standards as opposed to the current FCC regulatory methods.

On June 17, 2005, Sensenbrenner, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, abruptly ended a meeting where Republicans and Democrats were supposed to be debating the renewal of the USA PATRIOT Act and walked out in response to Democratic members raising issues regarding human rights violations at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay and the ongoing Iraq war. He ordered the court reporter to halt transcriptions of the proceedings, C-SPAN cameras covering the meeting be shut off, and that discussion on the issue be halted. Sensenbrenner defended his actions by claiming that the Democrats and witnesses had repeatedly violated House rules in discussing issues he believed to be unrelated to the subject of the meeting. His abrupt walkout was contrary to House parliamentary procedure, which is to adjourn either on motion or without objection. Political journalist Matt Taibbi described the incident in a profile of the 109th Congress published around October 2006: "Last year, Sensenbrenner became apoplectic when Democrats who wanted to hold a hearing on the Patriot Act invoked a little-known rule that required him to let them have one. "Naturally, he scheduled it for something like 9 a.m. on a Friday when Congress wasn't in session, hoping that no one would show," recalls a Democratic staffer who attended the hearing. "But we got a pretty good turnout anyway." Sensenbrenner kept trying to gavel the hearing to a close, but Democrats again pointed to the rules, which said they had a certain amount of time to examine their witnesses. When they refused to stop the proceedings, the chairman did something unprecedented: He simply picked up his gavel and walked out. "He was like a kid at the playground," the staffer says. And just in case anyone missed the point, Sensenbrenner shut off the lights and cut the microphones on his way out of the room. Commenting on Sensenbrenner's actions on ''The Daily Show'', comedian Jon Stewart said, "Oh my God, he literally took his gavel and went home; we are officially being governed by children."

Sensenbrenner was the main sponsor of H.R. 4437, a bill passed by the House in 2005 that would provide additional criminal penalties for aiding and abetting illegal immigration to the United States.

On September 8, 2005, Sensenbrenner voted against a bill to provide $50 billion in emergency aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina. The bill passed and was signed into law by President George W. Bush.

On December 16, 2005, Sensenbrenner introduced the Digital Transition Content Security Act. In 2006, it was reported that Sensenbrenner would help lead the effort to pass the Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2006, which is supported by large copyright holders and opposed by fair use activists.

Sensenbrenner receives high marks from the National Taxpayers Union, a non-profit organization that supports low taxes.

In 2006, Sensenbrenner joined with House Speaker Dennis Hastert in expressing outrage concerning the FBI raid of the congressional office of Democratic Representative William J. Jefferson, asserting constitutional concerns over separation of powers. He held Judiciary Committee hearings in May 2006 on this issue. Many Republican and conservative pundits, including Rush Limbaugh, took a dim view of this stance, and a June 1, 2006, ABC News poll found 86% of Americans supported the right of the FBI to search a congressional office when they obtain a warrant.

In fall 2006, The Animal Fighting Prohibition Act bill unanimously passed the Senate, but Sensenbrenner used his position to block final House consideration of the legislation, even though the bill had 324 co-sponsors. The act creates felony-level penalties for animal fighting activities. The Right to Life Act had hearings scheduled for December 12, 2006 at 10 am, but Sensenbrenner cancelled them right before the House adjourned on December 9 at 3:17am. The purpose of H.R. 552 is to "implement equal protection ... for the right to life of each born and preborn human person." In the 109th Congress, the legislation collected 101 cosponsors.

Sensenbrenner was the only Republican to join House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Congressional delegation to meet the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India during the March 2008 protests against China by Tibetans. While there he said, "In the US Congress, there is no division between Democrats and Republicans on the issue of protecting Tibetan culture and eliminating repression against Tibetans around the world".

Sensenbrenner was named the 2006 "Man of the Year" by the conservative publication ''Human Events'' because of his opposition to open-borders immigration policies. In contrast, in the same year he was rated the second-worst member of the House by ''Rolling Stone'', which dubbed him "the dictator".

In 2009, by a voice vote, the US Federal House approved H.R. 445, the Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 2009, authored by Sensenbrenner.

Sensenbrenner, in spite of unanimous Congressional support, attempted to delay a bill in December 2010 that would have been benefited Hotaru Ferschke the Japanese born widow of a United States Marine killed in combat. Congressman John Duncan and other supporters of Ms. Ferschke were able to get the bill passed in spite of Sensenbrenner's objections.

Political campaigns

When 9th District Congressman Bob Kasten vacated his seat to run for governor in 1978, Sensenbrenner ran in the election to succeed him, defeating his primary opponent, Susan Engeleiter, by 589 votes. He was elected in November 1978 and has been reelected 14 more times with no substantive opposition, sometimes running unopposed. His district was renumbered as the 5th after the 2000 census, when Wisconsin lost a district.

2006

Before his 2006 re-election bid, Sensenbrenner received $492,511 (or 67.5% of his campaign funds) from political action committees (PACs) and $233,903 (32%) from individual contributions. His campaign spent little on his re-election bid. Despite his small spending amount, he was able to win easily and donated $100,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee.

2008

2010

Sensenbrenner was challenged by Democrat Todd Kolosso.

Personal life

In 1977, Sensenbrenner married Cheryl Warren, daughter of former state attorney general and U.S. District Court Judge Robert W. Warren. The couple has two sons, Frank (born 1981), and Bob (born 1984). When not in Washington, Sensenbrenner resides in Menomonee Falls. His family also owns a summer home on Pine Lake near Delafield.

Sensenbrenner has a net worth of about $11.6 million. He has put his money into stocks, as detailed in the ''Congressional Record''. The Sunlight Foundation pointed out that among the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Sensenbrenner has the fourth-highest amount of investment in oil stocks.

In January 1998, Sensenbrenner won $250,000 on a D.C. Lottery ticket, purchased on December 18, 1997 at Congressional Liquors, the liquor store on Capitol Hill. He won $1,000 in the Wisconsin Lottery in the spring of 2007, and he won another $1,000 in that state's Super 2nd Chance lottery in September, 2007.

In August 2009, Sensenbrenner announced that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. His doctor said the cancer was caught in the early stages when the cure rate is between 85-95 percent.

Sensenbrenner was the top-ranking House member in terms of travel costs paid by private interests from 2001 to mid-2005. In 2005, he reported more privately funded travel than any other member of Congress. Between January 2000 and July 2006, he took about $200,000 worth of privately funded travel.

See also

Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005

References

External links

Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. ''official U.S. House site''

Jim Sensenbrenner for Congress ''official campaign site''

Jim Sensenbrenner at PolitiFact

Profile at SourceWatch

Critique of Sensenbrenner at ThrowTheRascalsOut.org

Sensenbrenner's opening statement at the Clinton impeachment trial January 14, 1999

The Worst Congress Ever Matt Taibbi, ''Rolling Stone'', October 17, 2006

Category:1943 births Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:People from Milwaukee, Wisconsin Category:People with cancer Category:Illinois Republicans Category:American Episcopalians Category:Living people Category:Lottery winners Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin Category:Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Category:Wisconsin State Senators Category:Stanford University alumni Category:University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Category:Wisconsin lawyers Category:Wisconsin Republicans

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