Santa Clarita Opportunist Buck McKeon: Where Voters Get Stuck With The Bill For Fake Conservatism & Egregious Corruption

Be it the rampant nepotsim, his bribes from Angelo Mozilo of Countrywide Mortgages, his outrageous relationship with armaments manufacturers in general and the drone industry in particular or any number of things, it's widely acknowledged in Washington that Buck McKeon is one of the most corrupt Members of Congress. Although McKeon has publicly stated over and over that he is not being investigated by the House for any of his corrupt practices-- and there are new ones being revealed almost every day, more than any other congressman-- this week the nonpartisan watch dog group, Citizens for Responsibility And Ethics in Washinton, revealed that McKeon is indeed under investigation by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (Darrell Issa's outfit).

REPRESENTATIVE HOWARD McKEON

Under Investigation by:  The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Under Investigation for:  Rep. McKeon, along with at least three other congressmen, is under investigation for possibly receiving a preferential mortgage rate from Countrywide Financial. On January 17, 2012, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), ranking member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said in a letter to the committee’s chairman, Darrell Issa (R-CA) that Rep. “McKeon appears to have obtained a significant discount on his VIP loan as a direct result of personal intervention by Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo.” Rep. McKeon’s spokesperson said he did not knowingly receive any special treatment from the company.

Status:  In December 2011, Rep. Issa referred Rep. McKeon’s case to the House Ethics Committee. The Oversight and Government Reform Committee is continuing to investigate Countrywide Financial. The status of the ethics committee’s investigation of Rep. McKeon is unknown.

It has also come to our attention that McKeon is under investigation by the FEC for violations of campaign finance law. His challenger, Dr. Lee Rogers, filed a complaint with the FEC earlier in June outlining a violation involving Buck McKeon using campaign money to pay for a mailer that benefited his wife's state assembly race. She lost miserably, by the way. Rogers stated that another FEC complaint would be filed providing evidence that Buck McKeon received a gift from a corporation.

Even stalwart conservative groups are sick and tired of McKeon's self-serving double-dealing. The Madison Project is never going to get behind McKeon's progressive opponent, but they added McKeon to their Hall of Shame and will not endorse him for reelection. Many Republicans in Santa Clarita and Simi Valley are supporting Rogers against McKeon, not because of partisan politics but because of McKeon's corruption and his refusal to serve the interests of his own constituents instead of the special interests that have him on their payrolls.

In his 19 years in the House, McKeon has been a consistent vote for big government and spending. In 2011, he voted for all the debt and spending bills and against the RSC budgets and spending cuts. In past years, he voted for Cash for Clunkers, TARP, and the Freddie/Fannie bailout. Throughout his tenure on the Education Committee, McKeon has been a strong supporter of federal involvement in education. It is important to note that, as Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, McKeon has been a solid voice for a strong national defense (which is often not reflected in a voting record); however, his record on fiscal issues is terrible.