House Clerk Resigns After Report of Credit Card Misuse

The clerk of the House of Representatives, Robin H. Carle, resigned Monday after an inspector general’s report concluded that she had used her House credit card to buy personal items and had a staffer run personal errands, House officials said.

The House Oversight Committee announced that Carle was leaving but did not give a reason. She is the first woman to hold the clerk’s post, which pays $132,800 a year.

The House inspector general’s report was not made public, but sources familiar with the findings, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it accused Carle of making $500 to $600 in personal purchases with her House credit card.

The staffer was used to pick up Carle’s Christmas tree and for other errands, according to the House officials.

Carle, reached at her home in Washington’s Virginia suburbs, said, “I’m going to a great job at the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Assn., and that’s my statement.”

Asked about the inspector general’s report, she said, “I’m not going to start down this path.”

Carle was named clerk when Republicans took control of the House in January 1995. She formerly was a top official at the Republican National Committee and chief of staff at the Department of Health and Human Services in the Bush administration.

An announcement by the House Oversight Committee, headed by Rep. Bill Thomas (R-Calif.), said Carle resigned effective Jan. 1.

Deputy Clerk Jeffrey J. Trandahl was named to fill the position on an interim basis. The clerk is one of the top officials in the House, and many staff operations are run by the clerk’s office.

In cases of congressional vacancies, the clerk assumes control of a legislative office and chooses one or two former aides to run it until voters choose a replacement.