Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA)

Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) is a 15th-term member of Congress, representing the 41st  district of California.  Currently the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, his ethics issues stem primarily from the misuse of his position as chairman of the committee to steer hundreds of millions of dollars in earmarks to family and friends in direct exchange for contributions to his campaign committee and political action committee.  Rep. Lewis was included in CREW’s 2006 and 2007 reports on congressional corruption.

Relationship with Bill Lowery and Copeland Lowery Jacquez Denton & White
   
Rep. Lewis has a close relationship with lobbyist and former Congressman Bill Lowery, and his lobbying firm, formerly known as Copeland Lowery Jacquez Denton & White (“Copeland Lowery”).  As chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Lewis approved hundreds of millions of dollars in federal projects for Mr. Lowery’s clients.  In exchange, Mr. Lowery, his partners and their spouses contributed $480,000 to Rep. Lewis’ campaign committee and Future Leaders PAC between 2000 and 2005, often giving the maximum contribution allowed under law.

Copeland Lowery’s staff includes Letitia White, who joined the firm in 2003 after working in Rep. Lewis’ office for 22 years, most recently as a staffer to the Appropriations Committee.
At Copeland Lowery Ms. White, who became known as “K Street’s Queen of Earmarks,” quickly built a client list of two dozen defense firms that were seeking earmarks.

Jeffrey Shockey, another staffer for Rep. Lewis until 1999, also left to join Copeland Lowery.  Mr. Shockey stayed with the firm for six years before returning to Capitol Hill in January 2005, for a second stint with Rep. Lewis as deputy staff director of the Appropriations Committee.  To compensate for Mr. Shockey’s drop in income, Copeland Lowery paid him nearly $2 million in departure payments and hired his wife, Alexandra Shockey, as a subcontractor.

Federal officials currently are investigating Letitia White and Jeffrey Shockey and the cozy relationship between Rep. Lewis and Copeland Lowery, now know as Innovative Federal Strategies (IFS).  Rep. Lewis sponsored $55 million in earmarks for IFS clients in the 2008 Defense Appropriations bill. 

In October of 2007, as part of the investigation, Defense Appropriations Subcommittee staffer Greg Lankler was subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles. On October 18, 2007, Mr. Lankler sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, stating that after consulting with the Office of General Counsel he had determined that the subpoena for his testimony was “not consistent with the rights and privileges of the House” and that the subpoena for documents requested records “not material and relevant.”   

If Rep. Lewis has traded legislative assistance for campaign contributions, he may be charged with bribery and honest services fraud and may have violated House rules prohibiting the dispensation of special favors and acting in a manner does not reflect credibly on the House.

Brent Wilkes Investigation

Rep. Lewis is also under investigation because of his dealings with Brent Wilkes, the same contractors who had ties to former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-CA).  After Rep. Cunningham pleaded guilty, Rep. Lewis resisted an independent investigation of Rep. Cunningham’s activities on the Appropriations Committee, stating that his own personal informal review of Rep. Cunningham’s earmarks was satisfactory and that the earmarks Rep. Cunningham doled out were legitimate.  In November of 2007, Brent Wilkes was convicted by a federal jury on 13 counts of bribery, conspiracy, wire-fraud and money laundering.  Mr. Wilkes subsequently was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison.   

In total, Rep. Lewis has received $88,252 from now indicted contractor Brent Wilkes and his associates, making him the third-highest recipient of campaign contributions from Mr. Wilkes, after Rep. Cunningham and Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA).       

Legal Fees

Since the release of CREW’s 2007 Beyond DeLay report, Rep. Lewis’ campaign committee has spent $198,392.82 in legal fees.  In the past three years, Rep. Lewis’ campaign committee has paid over $1 million in legal fees.           

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