Dialing For Dollars: Democratic Rep. Asks Lobbyist For Campaign Cash In Voicemail

Sept. 16, 2010 — -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has been caught on tape asking a lobbyist for a campaign contribution and reminding the lobbyist of her position on an important committee that affects the lobbyist's "sector."

"I'm simply candidly calling to ask for a contribution," says Rep. Norton, a Democrat from the District of Columbia, on the tape. "As the senior member of the, um, committee and a sub-committee chair, we have (chuckles) obligations to raise, uh, funds."

Norton's office does not deny the authenticity of the tape, but calls the message a "standard request" and emphasizes that it was first circulated by the web site Big Government, run by conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart, who has been criticized for misleading reporting in the past.

But good government types say that while this kind of phone call may be legal, it is not appropriate.

"This is the kind of heavy-handed -- not to mention ham-handed -- fundraising tactic that leads the public to believe that votes may be bought," says Sheila Krumholz, executive director for the Center for Responsive Politics. "As the House Ethics Manual advises, Members should not connect their actions in Congress to the money. By noting her committee assignment and seniority, and the 'sector' of this individual, she's effectively saying to this donor, 'You should be giving me money because I have power over the issues you care about.' "

"By extension," said Krumholz, "one might reasonably infer that what she really means is, 'If you give me money, I may give you favorable treatment in return.' Whether or not that is what she meant to infer, she owes her constituents an explanation."

The House Ethics Manual (2008 edition) states that "a Member should not sponsor or participate in any solicitation that offers donors any special access to the Member in the Member's official capacity." Making any kind of solicitation from a federal building, even if from a personal cell phone, is against the law.