-by pipsorcle

February 8, 2013- Darth Issa:  Lord Vader, the U.S. Postal Service is consolidating into five days.  Saturday delivery is going to be no more.
Darth Vader:  Good, good.  Our plan is going according to schedule.  The Emperor will be pleased.

Note:  Darrell Issa does cry and it comes in at the 1:20 mark.  He pulled a John Boehner in the 2003 California Gubernatorial Race!)

It seems to me not everyone on Daily Kos is in sync with the whole Saturday mail delivery ending.  On the one hand, the U.S. Postal Service can't compete with other services such as DHL, Federal Express or UPS.  On the other hand, there are people working at the postal service who will either lose part of their pay or their jobs all together.

Who do we blame for this?

-By Erik Wasson

January 18, 2013- House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has questioned whether the GOP plan to raise the debt ceiling violates the Constitution.

The GOP plans to pass a three-month debt-ceiling increase next week. It wants to add a “No Budget, No Pay” bill to it requiring congressional pay to be “withheld” unless the House and Senate approve budget resolutions by April 15. The GOP is hoping to force the Senate to pass a budget for the first time in nearly four years. 

Issa notes in a statement provided to The Hill that the 27th Amendment to the Constitution prohibits Congress from varying its own pay.

The amendment was designed to prevent Congress from raising its own pay before an election has happened.

-By David Edwards

October 21, 2012- Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) on Sunday ripped House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrel Issa (R-IL) for exposing the identities of Libyans who were working with the U.S. government in an effort to politicize the recent deaths of four Americans in Benghazi and get a foreign policy “toehold” for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

During an interview on Fox News on Sunday, host Chris Wallace repeatedly ignored Durbin’s efforts to point out that Issa had dumped 166 pages of sensitive State Department documents without redacting the names of Libyan civilians.

October 19, 2012- Libyans who have been secretly helping the U.S. have had their identities exposed by documents released Friday by House Oversight Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, a senior administration official confirmed to NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell.

Josh Rogin of Foreign Policy’s “The Cable” blog broke the story following Rep. Darrell Issa’s release of State Department communications, part of his effort to demand answers on security failures related to the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi:

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) compromised the identities of several Libyans working with the U.S. government and placed their lives in danger when he released reams of State Department communications Friday.

An indignant letter Issa and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) sent to President Obama accompanied the 166 pages:

-By John Breshnahan & Jake Sherman

October 13, 2012- A charitable group founded by California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, one of the richest members of Congress, has given tens of thousands of dollars to other organizations on behalf of his congressional staff and his own House committee, according to public records.

These donations do not appear to violate ethics or tax rules, several legal experts said, but they are the clearest example to date of Issa intermingling his vast personal riches with his congressional duties, a practice that has caused public relations and ethics problems for the controversial California Republican.

Here’s how it works: Staffers pitch Issa each holiday season, suggesting a charity worthy of a donation from the Issa Family Foundation. Issa then decides who gets a check, and the staffer is “recognized for their recommendation to the charity that receives the contribution,” said Frederick Hill, an Issa spokesman. The aides do not get a tax write-off or any other benefit, the office says.