Calvert defends record after attack from blog

Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) defended his record in Congress and again denied allegations of ethical impropriety after a conservative blog Friday called for a grassroots effort to force GOP leaders to rescind their decision to place Calvert on the powerful Appropriations Committee.

The House Republican Conference Thursday ratified Calvert as its choice to replace Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) on Appropriations, even though the lawmaker faced stiff opposition from conference members concerned that ethics allegations against him could hurt the party.

{mosads}“This week my colleagues gave me a welcome opportunity to refute the allegations made against me in a scurrilous 2006 Los Angeles Times story,” Calvert said in his own entry on the www.redstate.com blog. “I’m proud to have done so in an open and thorough fashion, and I write today to do the same for Red State readers.”

Erick Erickson, the editor of the blog, which is popular with conservatives, declared “war” on the House GOP leadership following its decision to appoint Calvert to the panel.

“The House Republican Leadership just does not get it and they will not take us seriously until we flex our muscle against them,” Erickson wrote. “We must fight the House GOP and we must fight today.

“Today, I declare war on the Republican Leadership of the United States House of Representatives. … We must scalp one member. That member’s name is Ken Calvert.”

Erickson said in an e-mail to The Hill, “There were plenty of other Republicans who would have been eligible and good. Instead, they made a lateral move from Doolittle to Calvert, who has not only had several questionable land deals, but also an arrest.”

However, Calvert described the deal in question as “a transportation project I supported for the betterment of my district.”

“The project is part of a larger, regional plan, was requested by local transportation officials and is currently three years away from construction,” Calvert wrote on the blog. “But rather than reporting the facts and the benefits this project would deliver for Californians, the Los Angeles Times ran a sensational story that falsely created an appearance of impropriety.”

He defended his leadership and admitted that he faced tough questions from Republican Conference members Wednesday and Thursday before he was appointed to the committee.

“The American people have every right to expect their elected leaders to adhere to the highest ethical standards. This week I faced tough questions from my leadership and my colleagues in the House Republican Conference,” Calvert said. “We had a candid, frank discussion, and I answered all of the questions I was asked and was approved by both the Steering Committee and the Republican Conference.”

Erickson stated in a follow-up post on his blog that “several members of the steering committee were loudly saying Calvert should not be on Appropriations and were ignored.”

Erickson told The Hill, “Leadership may be pleased with themselves, but I’ve heard from more than two dozen Republicans on the Hill thanking me for speaking out against Calvert’s appointment. … That tells me Leadership is not in line with those it represents.”

However, a GOP leadership aide defended the decision to place Calvert on the panel.

“It doesn’t take much to concoct an allegation of impropriety against an elected official in Washington — any idiot can do that,” the aide said. “But it takes guts to look at the facts, draw a conclusion that is contrary to the crap printed in one major newspaper, and stand firmly behind a decision. Frankly, that’s exactly what the Steering Committee has done.”