House Republican Press Release

December 15, 2006

Press Office: 860-240-8700

HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER CAFERO CALLS FOR CHECK ON LEGISLATIVE SUBPOENAS

Says Democratic Committee Chair Abused Power

HARTFORD – Incoming House Republican Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr. today called for a check on legislative subpoena authority in response to the “reckless’’ abuse of power by the Government Administration and Elections Committee chairman who led an investigation and single handedly orchestrated a report critical of Governor M. Jodi Rell’s chief of staff’s fundraising activities.

Cafero said full legislative committees - not simply the panel chairs - should authorize subpoenas. Cafero said he will offer legislation in the next session requiring a committee vote.  

“I believe the process was abused by the chairman and that we should require a full committee vote before subpoenas are issued. The Democrats control the committees, the least we should demand is that all committee members are on record in support of using this extraordinary power,’’ Cafero said.

Cafero, the Norwalk Republican, said that Democratic state Rep. Christopher Caruso of Bridgeport, the GAE chairman, acted recklessly by releasing a critical report this week to the media highly critical Rell’s Chief of Staff Lisa Moody’s thoroughly investigated fundraising activities. The Democratic members of the panel refused to go forward with a formal meeting next week to adopt the report after it was leaked to the media. Cafero said he did not condone any of Moody’s actions.

“First the report was leaked, the committee decided not to go forward with a formal meeting to adopt it. Then the report was officially made public,’’ Cafero said. “Chairman Caruso acted with reckless abandon and without the support of even his own Democratic members,’’ Cafero said.

He rejected the excuse that the GAE Democrats decided to forego a long-planned meeting Dec. 21 because it was at the height of the holiday season. He said Caruso’s fellow Democrats clearly wanted to distance themselves from their chairman.

Cafero said Caruso directed staff members to write the report and then had it leaked. “The irony is that Rep. Caruso in his zeal to re-investigate an alleged abuse of power abused his own power as chairman under the umbrella of the committee,’’ Cafero said.

In doing so, Caruso poisoned the air around the GAE committee to the point where some Democrats don’t even want to serve on it.

Cafero added, “I applaud the Democratic committee members who refused to go along any longer with this charade.’’