A liberal organization has called upon House Democratic leadership to remove Rep. Donna Shalala from the CARES Congressional Oversight Commission after she admitted Wednesday she made a mistake in reporting several stock sales after her 2018 election.
Miami @RepShalala admits she made a mistake by failing to report at least a half dozen stock sales in 2018-19 following her election to the House. “It was my mistake and I take full responsibility,” she told @CBSMiami pic.twitter.com/tVGrZlFFXV
— Jim DeFede (@DeFede) April 22, 2020
In an open letter Wednesday sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and Majority Whip James Clyburn, Demand Progress, the Center for Economic and Policy Research’s Revolving Door Project requested the Florida Democrat’s ouster.
“We write to urge you to encourage Rep. Donna Shalala to step down from the Congressional Oversight Commission,” the letter said. “Recent news reports concerning Rep. Shalala’s potential conflicts of interest and possibly illegal or unethical activities raise significant concerns about her ability to discharge her duties, her judgment, and her ability to be viewed as conducting her oversight duties impartially and without distraction.”
The group added, “The nature of the complaints do not lend themselves to immediate resolution, and we do not want her to be distracted by those complaints or to distract the Commission from its essential work on behalf of the American people.”
The Miami Herald reported Tuesday that Shalala, 79, did not publicly report over a half-dozen stock sales during 2019. This is considered to be a violation of the STOCK Act.
In an interview with a local CBS affiliate in Miami, she defended herself, saying she would cooperate with a congressional ethics probe.
Shalala appears to still have Pelosi’s support to remain on the oversight panel.
Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill told Roll Call Shalala has the “Speaker’s complete confidence as she works to hold the Administration accountable to the taxpayer through the CARES Congressional Oversight Commission.”
He added, “Since coming to Congress, Congresswoman Shalala has taken aggressive steps to avoid even the suggestion of a conflict of interest over her personal investments.”
