The Shark-Infested Waters of Rumors

Pugnacious political commentator John McLaughlin first disclosed the juicy rumor to the public.

“Another major scandal will erupt in the Congress soon, perhaps this coming week!” McLaughlin roared May 15 before signing off on his nationally syndicated television shout show.

Two days later, McLaughlin’s tantalizing tidbit was recycled in Roll Call, the Capitol Hill tabloid that is a must-read for Washington insiders. The newspaper’s front-page “Heard on the Hill” column revealed that the “big scandal” involved allegations of ghost voting by House members.

When no other news organization pounced on the bait, House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) tried to peddle the story. At a weekly breakfast gathering of Washington journalists, Gingrich predicted over greasy bacon and wet eggs that the forthcoming scandal would be “dramatically large” and “very serious.” With an impish grin, the notorious Democrat-basher added that Minority Leader Bob Michel (R-Ill.) had asked him to keep quiet about the sordid details.

Within hours of Gingrich’s prodding, all four major TV networks, the Associated Press, United Press International, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal were chasing a story that had “explosive” written all over it.

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It came as little surprise that no hard facts were served up at the Gingrich breakfast. Top elected officials rarely name names when leaking stories to the press that contain less proof than a wine cooler.

But Republican staffers (speaking only on the condition of anonymity, of course) were all too happy to fill in the details: House leaders were looking at allegations that Democrat Maxine Waters of Los Angeles had cast votes electronically on the House floor for members of the Black Congressional Caucus while they were out of town.

The flood of press inquiries that followed prompted Michel’s office to issue a statement denouncing the story within hours of the Gingrich breakfast. None of the ghost voting could be substantiated based on available evidence, Michel’s spokeswoman said.

Like the many salacious tales that circulate inside the Beltway, the ghost-voting scandal never materialized. But the hallway chatter and ensuing publicity created considerable Angst for two California lawmakers--Waters and freshman Republican Richard Pombo.

Pombo, a rancher who represents the Central Valley town of Tracy, found himself in the uncomfortable position of explaining to African American community leaders in his rural district why he had finked on one of the nation’s most prominent black elected officials.

Back in February when the Southern California earthquake relief package was before the House, Pombo observed Waters drop on the floor what appeared to be a number of cards used to access the electronic voting machines. To Pombo, it appeared that Waters may have voted not only for herself but for other members as well.

Although lawmakers routinely are permitted to vote by proxy without showing up at committee meetings, House rules strictly prohibit members from casting ballots for anyone else on the floor. “Nothing,” the Ethics Committee opined, “is more sacred to the democratic process than each person casting his own vote.”

When Pombo privately shared the episode with his California Republican colleagues, some of them began to salivate over the possibility of tainting Waters, one of the most liberal members of Congress who regularly clashes with conservatives.

“There was a group of some of the congressmen from Southern California who for partisan reasons wanted a scandal and wanted to fry Maxine Waters,” said one Republican aide. “They wanted to pump it up.”

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Pombo’s Republican colleagues took the case to their minority leader, Michel, who in turn notified Speaker Tom Foley (D-Wash.), who dutifully alerted Waters. Pombo was then summoned by Republican leaders and gave a statement to the House Ethics Committee staff.

Waters, an outspoken legislator known for her combustible personality, reacted by angrily confronting Michel and Gingrich on the House floor. She told House Democratic leaders that she carries other invalid voting cards in her purse as souvenirs. When Pombo saw her, Waters said, she was searching for the valid card assigned to her for the current 103rd session of Congress. A subsequent review of computerized House voting records turned up no evidence of ghost voting.

Waters declined to be interviewed. “All we really know is that the Speaker and the minority leader have said the matter is over with,” her spokesman said.

The incident serves as a reminder that Republicans lurk in the shark-infested waters of Washington ready to attack a Democrat at the slightest opportunity. And vice versa.

Such vindictiveness between political parties stifles the work of Congress, Pombo says. “This place is much more partisan than I ever dreamed it would be.”