Rep. Lewis’s (R) use of military aide may break the rules

[Rose Siding]

The staff member who tracks defense appropriations for Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, is a military officer on the Pentagon’s payroll, an apparent violation of House rules and a possible conflict of interest.

Marine Lt. Col. Carl Kime works as an appropriations associate in Lewis’s personal office, according to his business card. The aide’s service appears to violate two provisions of the House members’ congressional handbook: that detailees are supposed to serve committees for only one year and that they are not allowed to be assigned to members’ personal offices.
....
Specht explained that Kime “watches over all the defense issues” and that he now serves as Lewis’s liaison to the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, which has authority over the annual defense-spending bill.
....
“It definitely is a problem,” Ashdown said. “ C.W. Bill Young is the subcommittee chairman, but Lewis is the guy who finalizes all the appropriations bills and controls the process. The military is paying the salary of the gatekeeper of the most powerful appropriator in the universe. I don’t know if it is illegal. It sure should be.”

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/020206/news2.html

[Greeby]

1. Phew, only just noticed the (R)

Otherwise I might have thought you meant John Lewis (D-GA)

[Rose Siding]

3. Wish I could have souped up the headline - this is bad

Hard to believe this it's legal. This goes beyond the bushbots' aversion to oversight. They've turned the wheel over to those who should be overseen - or at the VERY least, made it look like that's what they've done.

[magellan]

2. Kime is active duty; why doesn't this violate military law?

When I was in, moonlighting was illegal.