Political career Tom Davis (Virginia politician)

1 political career

1.1 congressional career
1.2 house committee on government reform

1.2.1 icg government
1.2.2 major league baseball team in washington
1.2.3 transportation development positions
1.2.4 jennifer , david safavian


1.3 schiavo subpoena
1.4 k street project , nrcc fundraising
1.5 legislative activity
1.6 2004 , 2006 election campaigns

political career

davis member of fairfax county board of supervisors 1980 1994, serving chairman of board of supervisors 1991 until election house. during service board chairman, fairfax county ranked first financially city , state magazine in list of top 50 counties.

congressional career

davis outside east front of capitol in 1997

davis won election house in 1994, year of republican contract america. davis defeated one-term incumbent leslie byrne. contract america called citizen-legislators retire after 12 years, instead of career politicians. davis signed contract , voted in favor of citizens legislature act; however, bill did not achieve support 2/3 majority needed amendment pass. although 11th considered swing district, davis reelected 5 more times without substantive opposition in part due popularity in fairfax county. ran unopposed in 1998 , 2002.

in 2006, davis faced unexpectedly strong challenge democrat andrew hurst, reelected 55 percent of vote—his lowest total since initial bid against byrne. nonetheless, began fundraising senate bid in 2007. in 2004 term, on washington post deemed then-most recent key votes , davis voted 10 times out of last 13 times (77 percent) republican party position. on series of 1,700 votes reported washington post, davis voted on 89 percent of time in favor of republican position. nevertheless, davis described moderate; supported abortion rights , voting rights district of columbia, , opposed state car tax phase-out in 2006.

davis chairman of national republican congressional committee (nrcc) 1998 2002. according federal paper, sought chairmanship of house government oversight , reform committee. davis had less seniority other contenders chairmanship, republicans wanted reward him work nrcc chairman, including supervision of $160 million fundraising effort. davis s deputy on nrcc, tom reynolds of new york, became next nrcc chairman.

house committee on government reform

in 2003, davis became chairman of house government reform committee. served chairman until 2007, when democrats became majority party in house of representatives. henry waxman of california replaced davis @ gavel. davis had renamed committee, removing oversight title; 1 of waxman s first acts chair reinstitute name house committee on oversight , government reform. committee chief investigative , oversight committee of house, , granted broad jurisdiction. committee active during clinton administration. issued 1,052 subpoenas probe alleged misconduct administration , democratic party between 1997 , 2002. contrast, end of 2005 session, davis , majority had permitted 3 subpoenas issued george w. bush administration, including 1 united states department of defense on documents related hurricane katrina.

icg government

davis s second wife, jeannemarie devolites-davis, 1 of first hires (as part-time consultant) icg government, firm assists businesses in obtaining government contracts. financial relationship, along financial ties benefit family members of 64 of 435 voting members of congress, highlighted in june 2007 ethics report, family affair crew.

at time of hire @ icg, davis mentor , campaign manager. after being hired, devolites married davis. on july 28, 2006, washington post reported defense information systems agency had reviewed satellite contract artel, inc., , agency had preliminarily determined contract ineffective , expensive. artel hired icg lobbying services. icg drafted letter davis signed agency threatening investigation committee if contract not awarded. after post articles appeared, davis sought opinion house ethics committee. advised him careful avoid appearance of conflict in matter. post published extensive article on issue, company had register lobbyist, , icg removed picture front page of website of davis speaking icg clients.

his wife continued work icg, paid $78,000 in 2005 working 10 20 hours week, @ home on cell phone. making $18,000 year virginia legislator. bio 1 on icg site name spouse. same post writers continued investigation of oversight of contractual influence committee , chair in november , december 2006.

major league baseball team in washington

davis accused of threatening major league baseball investigation when consortium included george soros offered buy washington nationals. think major league baseball understands stakes , davis told roll call magazine. don t think want involved in political fights. davis, convened congressional hearings steroid use, added, don t think s nats hurt. think s major league baseball gets hurt. enjoy sorts of exemptions antitrust laws.

transportation development positions

davis appeared @ local zoning meeting oppose smart growth plan near vienna metro station. approval of project, build called mini-city within walking distance of metro, considered routine. of longest commutes work in nation begin in virginia—second new york city—and in prince william county in particular. project key resolution congestion in congressional district. davis s pledge approve legislation led several county supervisors accuse him of meddling in local land-use issue.

one politician spoke davis said congressman told him opposed pulte homes metrowest project because produce democrats .

in july 2006, davis wrote letter virginia s then-governor tim kaine discouraging state constructing underground metrorail through tysons corner. according july 17, 2006, story in washington post, davis said switching tunnel in tysons require reviews delay rail line as 2 years. on february 26, 2007, post reported davis had switched positions.

jennifer , david safavian

one of 12 counsels oversight , investigations on house government reform committee jennifer safavian, wife of david safavian, first person convicted in jack abramoff lobbying scandal. staff director house ways , means committee. former legislative director davis submitted request receive no jail time, judge ruled david safavian s conduct merited incarceration. judge s decision reversed on june 17, 2008, court of appeals district of columbia.

david safavian had replaced angela styles, forced general services administration after davis wrote letters bosses @ office of management , budget. had written mitchell e. daniels jr. , joshua bolten, styles s superiors @ office of management , budget.

prior gsa job, safavian had no government contracts experience. did have connections davis, lobbyist grover norquist, head of americans tax reform (atr), worked closely nrcc when davis chair, , presented davis atr award. atr has been found have operated tax-exempt despite not qualifying tax-exempt status.

schiavo subpoena

among notable controversies involving committee under davis terri schiavo case. committee subpoena, signed davis, ordered appearance of schiavo, husband, michael, , doctors. subpoenas specified witnesses bring hearing medical , other equipment provides nutrition , hydration...in current , continuing state of operations. davis issued joint statement house majority leader tom delay (r-tx) , speaker of house dennis hastert (r-il) stated: inquiry should give hope terri, parents , friends, , millions of people throughout world praying safety. fight not over. many legal scholars criticized action inappropriate congressional intervention in ongoing court case defied rule of law , amounted bill of attainder—not against party politicians attempting aid, against party on other side of courtroom.

k street project , nrcc fundraising

as chairman of nrcc, davis s chief responsibility fundraising members of congress, , work overlapped financial efforts of republican party s k street project , fundraising scandals involving abramoff , delay. davis himself signed nrcc check $500,000 in 1999, largest amount donated nrcc, while chair of committee. nrcc fined federal elections commission transferring funds because transferred between political action committees same candidates in violation of contribution limits. pac involved, u.s. family network, connected abramoff, bob ney, , willie tan, businessman in northern mariana islands, associated political scandal.

legislative activity

davis chair of select bipartisan committee investigate preparation , response hurricane katrina. democrats, had proposed independent investigation, objected , did not officially take part in committee. committee proceeded, producing stinging report critical of government s response disaster.

davis introduced bill became elizabeth morgan act, passed in 1996. in 2003, federal appeals court ruled act unconstitutional bill of attainder.

davis has been instrumental in getting federal funding replacement of woodrow wilson bridge.

davis sponsored legislation creating financial control board washington, d.c. in charge, until 2000, of government reform committee s subcommittee on district of columbia, favoring allowing district government more autonomy.

apparently in surprise house judiciary committee, reform committee passed hr 2043 (the dc fair , equal house voting rights act), bill davis introduced provide district of columbia voting representation in congress. bill differs other bills grant district right elect representatives. hr 2043 requires addition of 2 representatives, 1 in washington, d.c., , 1 in utah, raising number of representatives 435 437. originally, number of house seats return 435 after 2010 census, washington, d.c. retaining full vote in house., later versions of bill make expansion 437 seats permanent. bill did not make house floor, however.

the bill reintroduced, cosponsored davis, district of columbia house voting rights act of 2007 , h.r. 1433 in 110th congress. bill permanently increases size of house 2 members. 1 seat go district of columbia , other seat go next state in line congressional seat. based on 2000 decennial census , apportionment calculations, utah second seat until reapportionment taking place after 2010 decennial census. on march 13, 2007 passed house committee on oversight , government reform vote of 24–5.

2004 , 2006 election campaigns

davis s congressional district redistricted after 2000 census, increased percentage of republicans in district. in 2004, defeated relatively unknown democratic challenger, ken longmyer, 59 percent 39 percent margin. in race, davis outspent longmyer, $1,835,000 $72,000.

in november 2006 election, davis defeated democrat andrew hurst 11 percentage points. closest , costliest race davis faced in 12 years. in financing campaign, davis outspent hurst 9-to-1, $2,607,125 $310,561.

independent green party co-founder, businessman joseph oddo on ballot in 2004. ferdinado greco, physicist, george mason university grad, owner , operator of hybrid taxi business, independent green candidate in 2006.