Wasn’t John “no, it’s not pronounced like you think” Boehner supposed to be the post-DeLay reform candidate, the guy with the ethical chops to free the Republican House from looking like an adjunct of K Street?
Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), who was elected House majority leader last week, is renting his Capitol Hill apartment from a veteran lobbyist whose clients have direct stakes in legislation Boehner has co-written and that he has overseen as chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee.
Only in Washington could an old pro like Boehner, an eight-term congressman with close ties to Washington’s K Street lobbying culture, be seen as the fresh face of reform. Boehner’s ever-present George Hamilton tan gives him the look of a man forever coming back from vacation. He does get around: over the years, he has made the most of controversial rules allowing members to accept free trips to luxury retreats around the world. Since 2000, Boehner has taken more than $150,000 worth of junkets paid for by private interests—ranking him in the top 10 of all members of Congress.
In 1995, Boehner handed out campaign checks from the tobacco industry to members on the House floor at a time when lawmakers were considering eliminating a tobacco subsidy.
The faces may change, but the song remains the same.