In Case You Missed It: Issa Breaks Military Ethics Policy
Congressional candidates break ethics policy [Excerpts]
San Diego Union-Tribune
By Joshua Stewart
September 3, 2016
Members of the House and Senate who served in the military routinely violate a Defense Department ethics policy that regulates how they can use their experience in uniform when campaigning for office.
Often they fail to run a required disclaimer that says they are not endorsed by the armed forces.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-San Diego, was the only member from the San Diego area who is a veteran that didn’t include the disclosure.
…Issa mentions his service as an enlisted soldier and later as an Army officer on both his website and in a recent campaign mailer targeted to veterans.
His district includes Camp Pendleton as well as parts of northern San Diego County and southern Orange County that are favorite retirement spots for people who served.
Issa’s mailer includes a picture of an officer pinning on rank to a young Issa’s shirt collar. Another shows him with a parachute strapped to his back and a helmet on his head as he participates in jump school at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1975. The mailer does not include any sort of disclosure.
The pictures are old and don’t give the impression of backing from the armed forces, said Issa’s campaign spokesman, Calvin Moore, who questioned whether the disclaimer was needed.
“When you look at the photos from 30 years ago, they’re from a scrapbook, and certainly we’d be the first ones to fix it if there is something wrong there,” Moore said.
The Issa campaign added a disclosure to its website on Friday afternoon after inquiries from the Union-Tribune. Moore said they wanted to be sure they complied with the Defense Department policy.
Issa’s opponent, retired Marine Col. Doug Applegate, a Democrat, also has a description of his military career and pictures of himself in uniform on his website. Applegate included a disclaimer that says he is no longer in the military and that he is not endorsed by either the Corps or its parent organizations, the Department of the Navy and the Department of Defense.
…“The rules reflect the fact that military service and uniform worn are in service to our nation and Constitution and not to a political party or candidate,” he said.