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Shays Shocker: My Congressional Colleagues Are 'Corrupt'
NewsMax.com ^ | 2/19/02 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

Posted on 02/19/2002 4:02:02 PM PST by kattracks

An author of the Shays-Meehan campaign finance reform bill passed by the House last week had telephones ringing off the hook in New York and Washington, D.C. Tuesday afternoon when he said during a radio interview that he and many of his fellow congressional representatives are "corrupt."

During a heated debate on the influence of big money in politics, Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Ct.) told nationally syndicated radio host Sean Hannity that he could name "more than three" congressmen who he said had been corrupted by campaign donations - but declined to do so on the air.

Shays' bizarre confession prompted calls of concern to his Washington office by several colleagues, with Hannity revealing after the interview that at least three congressman had called his own New York City broadcast studio for clarification on what Shays said.

The full exchange went like this:

HANNITY: Can you name me three members of Congress, just three, that are corrupt because they receive donations?

SHAYS: Oh, I can name you more than three, but I wouldn't...

HANNITY: You can?

SHAYS: No, no, Sean, this is one thing we have to be very honest about in our society. You don't - you, I hope, were outraged at Enron, what happened at Enron. I was.

HANNITY: I'm more outraged about Global Crossing, but that's....

SHAYS: Well, O.K. But either way what happened was there were two things that Enron - Enron told us a whole host of things. But one of the things they taught us was that nobody spoke out about a corrupt system. And even Miss Watkins, who spoke out, only spoke out internally.

Now, I would be like Miss Watkins if all I did was to speak internally and tell my Speaker the system is corrupting us - cause I've done that. And what corrupts us....

HANNITY: You're saying that members of Congress, you have no doubt - how many would you say of the 435 members are corrupt? Cause you're saying....

SHAYS: Now, Sean, I want to say this to you. This is a system that corrupts everyone it touches - even me....

HANNITY: You have been corrupted by accepting donations?

SHAYS: Let me just explain to you how, and, you know, we may not be able to cover it all. But, I want to be honest with you like you would want an Enron employee to be honest with you.

And the bottom line is, certain bills don't come to the floor because the people are major contributors. Certain amendments don't get on the rules committee because people are major contributors. Some bills get to the floor because there are major contributors. Some issues that have been important to some people in the general public for years don't see the light of day because major contributors don't like it. And that's a fact. (End of Excerpt)

Shays' comments about congressional corruption set off a firestorm of controversy, so much so that minutes after the interview ended he was back on the telephone asking Hannity for more airtime.

SHAYS: I wanted to dialogue because I don't feel that everyone in Congress is corrupt. I think it's a corrupting system.... I was having people call me in response to one or two things you were saying and I really want to be clear on this because this is very important to me.

I believe that I work with some of the finest people who actually are members of Congress. But the issue is, do I think all members of Congress are corrupt? Absolutely not.

HANNITY: No, you didn't say that. But you said some.

SHAYS: But what I do believe is that we are involved in a very corrupting system.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

Campaign Finance Reform


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: silenceamerica
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1 posted on 02/19/2002 4:02:03 PM PST by kattracks
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To: kattracks
I'm not exactly certain why Shay's admission is 'shocking'.
2 posted on 02/19/2002 4:05:46 PM PST by Tench_Coxe
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To: kattracks
Well SHAYS is certainly corrupt, as are quite a few RINO's and democrats.

But we KNEW that already. The thing is...his new bill? It opens the gates guaranteeing more corruption, not less.
3 posted on 02/19/2002 4:06:52 PM PST by Maelstrom
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To: kattracks
Shays is not even intelligent enough to be original!

Stalin had many such stooges as Shays who stood up and gave 100% false testimony under oath because it served the purposes of his party!!!!
4 posted on 02/19/2002 4:07:17 PM PST by DonPaulJones
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To: Miss Marple; Dog
info ping!
5 posted on 02/19/2002 4:07:51 PM PST by Citizen Soldier
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To: kattracks
"My Congressional Colleagues Are 'Corrupt'"

Next he'll be telling us:
Wrestling is fixed.
The Pope is Catholic.
Bears shiit in the woods

6 posted on 02/19/2002 4:08:51 PM PST by APBaer
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To: kattracks
If the system is so corrupt why are they waiting until after this election cycle to uncorrupt it?
7 posted on 02/19/2002 4:13:55 PM PST by boomop1
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To: kattracks

I bet his remarks are about as welcome to his colleagues as a frog in the guacamole.

8 posted on 02/19/2002 4:15:33 PM PST by deport
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To: kattracks
I heard the program, and my jaw hit the ground with what he was saying. I wasn't shocked at what he said, I always knew they were corrupt, but was shocked that he said it.
9 posted on 02/19/2002 4:16:37 PM PST by Lokibob
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To: kattracks
And the bottom line is, certain bills don't come to the floor because the people are major contributors. Certain amendments don't get on the rules committee because people are major contributors. Some bills get to the floor because there are major contributors. Some issues that have been important to some people in the general public for years don't see the light of day because major contributors don't like it. And that's a fact.

It certainly took some time for Shays to get to the meat of it. I don't think the guy is very bright frankly. And that clown Hannity never helps. He is so belligent and mouthy, that it may be better for him to just talk to himself.

10 posted on 02/19/2002 4:21:29 PM PST by Torie
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To: kattracks
I didn't know that RINO's are allowed, even by law, to make moral judgements.?Calling someone corrupt is a moral judgement, yet if he keeps that up, then before you know it, he'll be forcing his morality on everyone else.I thought that is verboten in the RINO handbook?? Do I smell the whiff of Fascism from Obergruppenfuhrer Shays??
11 posted on 02/19/2002 4:24:58 PM PST by habs4ever
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To: kattracks
I didn't know that RINO's are allowed, even by law, to make moral judgements.?Calling someone corrupt is a moral judgement, yet if he keeps that up, then before you know it, he'll be forcing his morality on everyone else.I thought that is verboten in the RINO handbook?? Do I smell the whiff of Fascism from Obergruppenfuhrer Shays??
12 posted on 02/19/2002 4:25:35 PM PST by habs4ever
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To: kattracks
I didn't know that RINO's are allowed, even by law, to make moral judgements.?Calling someone corrupt is a moral judgement, yet if he keeps that up, then before you know it, he'll be forcing his morality on everyone else.I thought that is verboten in the RINO handbook?? Do I smell the whiff of Fascism from Obergruppenfuhrer Shays??
13 posted on 02/19/2002 4:27:05 PM PST by habs4ever
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To: kattracks
Somehow, I see McCain's hand in this.
14 posted on 02/19/2002 4:28:22 PM PST by tacticalogic
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To: boomop1
If the system is so corrupt why are they waiting until after this election cycle to uncorrupt it?

And why didn't they ban ALL soft money?

15 posted on 02/19/2002 4:30:48 PM PST by sinkspur
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To: tacticalogic; goldstategop; Silence, America!
McCain has said the same thing in the past and also refuses to name names...its the old "stop me before I sin again" ploy.
16 posted on 02/19/2002 4:36:45 PM PST by dittomom
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To: dittomom
Yes I'm a prostitute. Help me stop before I go out and solicit another john again!!!
17 posted on 02/19/2002 4:39:06 PM PST by goldstategop
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To: kattracks
Well, I can name one corrupt Congressman for sure.

See, there was this one guy who voted not to impeach a politician whom he believes is a rapist at roughly the same time that his wife was given a nice cushy Executive-branch government job.

Well, he brought it up.

18 posted on 02/19/2002 4:40:09 PM PST by denydenydeny
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To: dittomom
These guys can always go cleanse themselves of their sins in the private sector if they find the stench too much to take.I'm sure Shays has sooooo much to offer to a prospective employer;-)
19 posted on 02/19/2002 4:43:21 PM PST by habs4ever
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To: kattracks
bump for later
20 posted on 02/19/2002 4:44:17 PM PST by steve in DC
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