Republican Redistricting Committee Member Lied About His Involvement in Redrawing His District – In April, during floor debate on the state house redistricting proposal, Republican State Representative and member of the House Committee on Redistricting Aaron Pena emphatically and repeatedly stated that he had no role in drawing the actual lines for the controversial district that was created for him in Hidalgo County.
During last week’s redistricting trial, Ryan Downton, the House Redistricting Committee Counsel, testified in open court that he worked with Representative Pena on the district lines after the first draft of the map was released. He then went on to say that Pena would identify specific neighborhoods that he believed were favorable to him so that Downton would include those in his district.
The incident Downton refers to in which he and Pena worked together to modify the initial configuration of state house district 41 occurred sometime between April 13 and April 19.
Eight days later, on April 27, the state house map was debated on the House floor at which time Pena, in direct contradiction with Downton’s testimony, unequivocally stated he had no role whatsoever in the drawing of the actual lines for his district.
Republican Congressman Refuses to Investigate News Corp Scandal – Earlier this week eight members of the House Oversight Committee urged Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) to listen to repeated requests that he investigate Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. (the parent company of Fox News). (1)
Rep. Issa’s response? To go on Murdoch’s Fox News Channel and say that he wasn’t going to do anything. (2)
News Corp. has been implicated in the bribery of foreign law enforcement officials, the hacking of Sept. 11 victims’ phone lines, the cover-up of an Internet hacking scandal in the U.S. and numerous other offenses.
Rep. Issa’s Oversight and Government Reform Committee is charged with protecting the interests of U.S. citizens against the illegal actions of corporations, regardless of their political leanings.
Don’t let Rep. Issa sweep the Murdoch scandal under the rug. Sign this letter urging an investigation.
(1) Jordy Yager, “Dem. Lawmakers Press Issa to Probe News Corp.’s Alleged Hacking,†The Hill, Sept. 12, 2011
(2) Lee Fang, “Issa: We Won’t Investigate News Corp.’s Alleged Hacking Of 9/11 Victims Because We Don’t Want To Pick On The Media,†ThinkProgress, Sept. 14, 2011
Regards,
Jim
Andy Hailey