‘Stolen vote’ panel requests $300K, office space

The panel appointed to investigate the voting irregularities of Aug. 2, dubbed the “stolen vote” by some Republicans, asked for $300,000 to retain consultants and experts, a sum much lower than the $1 million requested by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio).

{mosads}The six-member Select Committee to Investigate the Voting Irregularities of August 2, 2007 was formed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Boehner on Sept. 5, pursuant to a resolution passed in the days following the vote controversy. The panel has been using facilities provided by the House Committee on Rules, an arrangement it says it wants to continue.

The panel released a report of interim findings Friday, outlining areas of investigation into the vote. Those areas include personnel regularly on the Speaker’s dais and their roles with regard to voting procedure.

On Aug. 2, as voting on a GOP amendment to the farm bill reached a 214–214 deadlock, Rep. Michael McNulty (D-N.Y.), presiding in the Speaker’s chair, gaveled the vote closed despite the chamber’s electronic vote tally showing the amendment passing by a margin of 215–213.

Partisan controversy ensued, with more than 100 Republicans storming off the floor.

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), the panel’s ranking member, had said he hoped costs for the panel would be lower than Boehner’s $1 million request, which was outlined in a letter to Pelosi on Sept. 7. A staffer for one of the panel’s members told The Hill that the committee is considering hiring consulting groups and law firms to guide the investigation.