April 27, 2015

The long and winding road of misinformation….

The acronym for the committee that Issa sat on is COGR

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
http://www.allacronyms.com/COGR/Committee_on_Oversight_and_Government_Reform

It is solely a house committee and has been in existence since 1816. Msanthrope insists on misidentifying Issa's committee as "House COG". Why, I do not know. When I say that the House COG does not exist, I mean just that. There is no House Committee on Oversight and Government. Nor is there any House Congressional Oversight Group.

Msanthrope also claims that the COGR has investigated TPP. A google search and a search of their website reveals no such investigation.
http://oversight.house.gov/search/?q=transpacific&x=10&y=18
http://oversight.house.gov/search/?q=trans-pacific&x=19&y=16
http://oversight.house.gov/search/?q=TPP&x=10&y=16

The committee known as COG; i.e., Congressional Oversight Group, has only been in existence since 2002 created by the Trade Act which was introduced by Wyden. It's purpose is to work closely with the US Trade Representative. Issa has never been a member of the Congressional Oversight Group and thus not privy to any documents in 2011. As of 2012, the only members of Congress who might have seen or who might have had access were members of the Congressional Oversight Group. In fact, in 2012, 130 members of Congress wrote a letter to the USTR asking for consultation and broader access.
https://www.publicknowledge.org/files/TPP%20Letter%20FINAL.pdf

The Senate sent a similar letter and Wyden introduced legislation codifying access.
http://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/with-trans-pacific-partnership-negotiations-set-to-continue-in-california-next-week-senators-call-for-increased-transparency-including-broader-consultation-on-internet-freedom

It appears that Wyden's bill did not make it out of committee
https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/3225

The Congressional Oversight Group is comprised of both members of the House and the Senate. Specifically,

It appears that Msanthrope is asserting (with absolutely no evidence) that Issa was the leaker because, in 2012, he posted on his website a TPP document that was leaked in 2011. She then goes on to assert that an Issa staffer took the bill. She also states that Issa (or a staffer… who knows, because she has provided ZERO evidence of any of there claims), that portions of the purloined document were dribbled out to see if they could drum up interest. Again, this is factually incorrect. The ENTIRE document was published online in early 2011. Many organizations analyzed it and also published their analyses online.

By the way, unless specifically directed by a relevant agency, it is not a crime to republish material in the public domain.

Reid and Pelosi would have looked stupid if they had pursued the matter. And no, Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) did not complain that they were unable to leak provisions. A letter asking for broader access and the opportunity to confer with experts is not a plea to leak.

And, she states (again with no evidence), that Congressional access was looser prior to the leak. Given that members of both the Senate and the House assert in their letters that they've been barred from access, this is clearly a fabrication.

Finally, she uses all this misinformation to castigate good Democrats.

Unbelievable.