EXECUTIVE MEMO
Who Was That Masked Man?
ho was that hooded man, his voice electronically altered, his identity hidden by a black hood and partition? Mr. X was the star witness at a May 15 hearing of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee. His revelation: the Environmental Protection Agency lobbied him by faxing him unsolicited material about EPA's view of the "Contract With America."
Mr. X appeared before the committee in support of HR 3078, which would prohibit federal workers from using appropriated funds to stir up support or opposition for legislation. Mr. X, a lobbyist himself, said EPA's missives left him fearful of retribution, hence his disguise and refusal to identify the trade association that employs him.
The anti-lobbying bill, sponsored by Committee Chairman Rep. William F. Clinger, R-Pa., would bar employees from participating in public events, distributing literature, ghost-writing articles or encouraging people to contact Members of Congress with the aim of defeating or backing legislation. The bill applies almost exclusively to career employees, not to political appointees.
Narrower lobbying restrictions already are regularly appended to some appropriations acts and a 1919 criminal law bans the use of appropriated money for large, costly grass-roots lobby campaigns. However, no one has ever been indicted under the law.
The Clinton Administration opposes Clinger's bill, saying it would prevent agencies from analyzing or criticizing legislative proposals. Democrats on Clinger's committee called the hearing "a publicity stunt" and Mr. X's testimony "bizarre."
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