Government misconduct in his sights

House oversight chair Rep. Waxman speaks at USC Law

—By Lori Craig

The man Time magazine called “the scariest guy in Washington” has participated in thousands of investigations into the federal government and looks forward to many more.

Rep. Henry Waxman

“I’ve said many times that the Bush administration has been more secretive than any administration in the history of the country,” said Rep. Henry A. Waxman, chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. “We have tried to keep people honest with a whole wide range of hearings.

“We have jurisdiction over anything.”

Waxman, a Democrat whose district includes Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and West Hollywood, visited USC Law on Super Tuesday, Feb. 5, to discuss his role in the U.S. House of Representative’s chief investigative body. The talk was sponsored by the International Relations Organization, the Jewish Law Students Association and the USC Law Democrats.

Despite the secrecy of the Bush Administration, Waxman — who has the power to subpoena government officials without a committee vote — said he is undaunted. The committee recently has held hearings or investigations to examine Abu Ghraib prison abuses, government response after Hurricane Katrina and the leak of CIA Agent Valerie Plame’s identity.

“I think I’m being a good American by bringing out the unhappy facts that are seen by America and around the world,” Waxman said. “But if I didn’t do any of these investigations, this country wouldn’t be viewed very well anyway.”

Currently, the committee is examining the alleged steroid use by professional baseball players, as published in the Mitchell Report, an investigation by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell.

A 16-term congressman, Waxman was a member of the oversight committee for nine years before being named chair in 2007. He chaired the Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health and Environment from 1979 to 1994 and also has served on the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Subcommittee on Health, the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality, and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

Among the notable agencies recently examined by Waxman’s committee is the State Department, which contracted with private military firms for security in Iraq. Waxman subpoenaed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during the investigation.

“There is a huge trend of contracting out government work, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but you have to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth,” Waxman said. “We’re paying more and we’re not getting the same quality as (we would with) the American military.”

Private security contractors like Blackwater Worldwide are detrimental to the United States’ reputation, Waxman said, because “they’ve acted like cowboys” yet are indistinguishable from the U.S. military to most citizens.

Waxman answered some questions from students before taking a straw poll of Democrats in the room on their choice for presidential candidate. A large majority of hands rose for Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton.

“Either one will win in November,” Waxman predicted, “but McCain is probably the toughest Republican to beat.”