Cantor is criticized on new policy group

By: Tyler Whitley | Times-Dispatch
Published: May 16, 2009

"What he has done may be legal, but he is straddling the line to have taxpayers pay for partisan political activities." -- CAITLIN GINLEY, staff writer for The Center for Public Integrity, an independent group

Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th, has come under fire from a watchdog group and Democrats for using taxpayer-funded staff to work on a new policy organization he has set up.

A spokesman for Cantor said the House minority whip has done nothing wrong and that policy organizations are common in Congress.

The complaints center around the National Council for a New America, which Cantor helped establish recently. It is designed to develop policy through a series of town-hall meetings.

When it was announced, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, said it would be bipartisan, but the initial organizers and policy advisers are all Republicans. Pundits and critics have characterized it as an effort to remake the Republican Party, which has suffered a string of losses.

An independent group, The Center for Public Integrity, was critical of Cantor.

"What he has done may be legal, but he is straddling the line to have taxpayers pay for partisan political activities," said Caitlin Ginley, a staff writer for the center.

She said congressional staff members pursuing political activities are supposed to do the work on a volunteer basis, but "it's common for the line to be broken."

As the No. 2 Republican in the House, Cantor, a Henrico County resident, has come under increasing fire from Democrats.

"It's a shame that Representative Cantor is spending taxpayer money on political ploys while Virginians are struggling to make ends meet," said Jared Leopold, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Virginia.

The National Council for a New America's first town hall-meeting, May 2 at an Arlington County pizza parlor, featured Cantor and two Republican former governors, Jeb Bush of Florida and Mitt Romney of Massachusetts. Cantor campaign funds paid the expenses for that event.

House of Representatives ethics rules allow informal caucus organizations, said Rob Collins, Cantor's deputy chief of staff. They are allowed to use assets, including Cantor's leadership staff and Web site, as long as no staff member is dedicated solely to the organization, Collins said.

"It's completely legitimate," he added, citing the House's ethics manual. "There is no politicking. We are not advocating the election or defeat of anyone."

Collins said "the use of staff time and resources to promote policies specific to an ideology, be it conservative, liberal or moderate, is a common practice with a long history in Congress.

"As witnessed by the existing congressional caucuses like the Democratic Caucus, Progressive Caucus or the Republican Conference, it is normal and allowable as long as there is an exclusive focus on ideas, policies or legislation and absolutely no electioneering," Collins said.

The Democratic National Committee was not buying Collins' explanation.

"The claim that the council is anything but partisan is absurd," said Alec Gerlach, a spokesman for the DNC.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is chairman of the DNC.

"I think Governor Kaine could make better use of his time than to attack a fellow Virginian," Collins said.

Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or twhitley@timesdispatch.com.