Really Full Disclosure

New way to bedevil those working in and for Congress, from the website LegiStorm's press release:

LegiStorm, the Web site that first caused controversy in Washington by publishing congressional staffer salaries, has now launched the first database of personal financial disclosures for thousands of the most powerful aides.

By law, members of Congress and their highest paid staff - who tend to be the most powerful on Capitol Hill - are required annually to disclose information about their personal finances, including details about their debts, stock portfolio, outside earned income, spousal employment, major gifts received and even their gambling winnings.

..........

Rules from the House of Representatives state, "The objectives of financial disclosure are to inform the public about the financial interests of government officials in order to increase public confidence in the integrity of government and to deter potential conflicts of interest."

[LegiStorm founder Jock] Friedly expects controversy with the new free database. "I understand that congressional aides want to jealously guard their privacy and I sympathize," he said. "However, these are the behind-the-scenes power players who control a $3.1 trillion federal budget and write all the laws of the land. It's hard to argue that they are not important public figures worthy of a little scrutiny."

Start your private investigation at LegiStorm today!

Comments

kinnath | February 26, 2008, 12:33pm | #

Couldn't happen to a nicer set of people.

Alex | February 26, 2008, 12:59pm | #

We'll lets see how much Bill Frist lost in poker... then we'll have a better idea of how he pulled that UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) out of his arse.

Taktix® | February 26, 2008, 1:48pm | #

Information like this is as vital as a musket was 225 years ago.

Bill Clinton | February 26, 2008, 2:02pm | #

I'm rich, bitch!

J sub D | February 26, 2008, 2:06pm | #

Congress made it available expecting that nobody would bother going throught the research hassles. Now it's easily accessible.

Oh shit!

Lowdog | February 26, 2008, 3:14pm | #

This can only be a good thing.

Russ 2000 | February 26, 2008, 3:25pm | #

I don't expect this to amount to a hill of beans as far as throwing the bums out. So I may as well use it to my advantage and see exactly which companies these cocksuckers are investing in so that I can do the same.

KD | February 26, 2008, 4:48pm | #

So I may as well use it to my advantage and see exactly which companies these cocksuckers are investing in so that I can do the same.

Thanks Russ, never thought of that.

TrickyVic | February 26, 2008, 5:19pm | #

"""I understand that congressional aides want to jealously guard their privacy and I sympathize," he said. """

That's where the aides are wrong, it's not private information, it's public.

R C Dean | February 26, 2008, 5:44pm | #

I understand that congressional aides want to jealously guard their privacy and I sympathize

Odd that all these aides so worked up about personal privacy can't seem to write up any legislation that respects it, let alone protects it.

TrickyVic | February 27, 2008, 4:37pm | #

It's a pretty good site if you like keeping up with Congress. Click on "the score" and you get a list of what's going on today in both houses.