Campaign 2010

Aug 24, 2010

Van Tran and Disgraced Former Speaker Gingrich – Two Peas in a Pod?

California Assemblyman Van Tran recently thanked disgraced former House Speaker Newt Gingrich for endorsing his candidacy for California's 47th Congressional District. Tran said he was 'honored' to receive approval from Gingrich, who – like Tran – has made a career out of making government as ineffective and self-serving as possible.


In his release, Tran lists Newt’s "mpressive" record of accomplishments. What’s not mentioned is that the House voted overwhelmingly to reprimand Gingrich – the first time in the House’s history it disciplined a Speaker for ethical wrongdoing. Gingrich himself admitted that he brought discredit to the House and broke its rules by failing to ensure that financing for two projects would not violate federal tax law and by giving the House ethics committee false information.

"It’s not surprising that Newt Gingrich gave Van Tran his seal of approval – they have a lot in common," said Andy Stone, Western Regional Press Secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "Both are committed to putting special interests ahead of the public interest and have built a career out of ethically questionable behavior. And both seem to think the laws don’t apply to them - Van Tran for interfering with police work at the scene of a drunk driving accident, and Newt Gingrich for failing to pay $300,000 in ethics fines. The fact that Tran would be ‘honored’ to receive Gingrich’s endorsement proves how out of touch he is."

BACKGROUND

  • Van Tran was endorsed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.  Tran said he was "honored" to receive the endorsement. [Van Tran Press Release, 8/23/10]
  • In 1997, the House reprimanded and ordered Gingrich to pay a $300,000 penalty for giving the House ethics committee false information and failing to ensure that financing for two projects would not violate federal tax law. [Washington Post, 1/22/97]
  • Assemblyman Van Tran was so disruptive at the scene of the police investigation into Councilman Andy Quach’s car crash that a sergeant had to threaten him with arrest to get him to stay away, according to incident transcripts released by the police chief. [Orange County Register, 8/6/09]
  • The Orange County Register found that Tran received $137,000 in tax-free per diem during his career in Sacramento, which he used to purchase a home near the state capitol where he lives, despite declaring his ‘home’ to be 418 miles to the south. [Orange County Register, 2/18/10]

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