January 08, 2011 01:17 AM UTC

at least they're not your Representatives ...

• 1 Comments
• by: VanDammer

House GOP leaders now scramble to cover idiot unconsitutional actions by veteran Texas Rep. Pete Sessions and freshman Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick.

Seems Sessions and Fitzpatrick missed the en masse swearing in of the new House in order for them to attend a private party for Fitz’s friends in the Capitol Visitors Center (which looks to have violated rules about using federal facilities to raise campaign cash).

So their unconstitutional participation in House matters has effectively invalidates every vote the House has taken since Wednesday, including electing John Boehner to Speaker.  And this on the same day GOP controlled House plays kabuki reading of the US Constitution.

How embarrassing!  

Per Morning Call’s Colby Itkowitz:

… the two raised their hands and joined along with their comrades. But under House rules, a TV-mediated swearing-in doesn’t count. Sessions and Fitzpatrick continued to vote on the floor, even though they weren’t properly sworn in — which has effectively invalidated every vote the House has taken since Wednesday, including the vote to elect John Boehner as speaker.

After learning of the problem Thursday, Boehner quickly swore in Sessions and Fitzpatrick, coincidentally on the same day Republicans took part in a reading of the Constitution, which the two technically violated.

And per Holly Bailey (Yahoo Policital Writer):

But the GOP may be facing even bigger problems. According to reports, the party that Sessions and Fitzpatrick attended might have been a fundraiser for the Pennsylvania congressman – a violation of House rules that block the use of government facilities to raise campaign cash.

Fitzpatrick’s office has denied that the event was for fundraising. But the Sunlight Foundation, a campaign finance watchdog group, reports that attendees were asked to pay $30 for transportation to the event and were solicited for contributions to Fitzpatrick’s 2012 re-election campaign.