Hilda Solis Made Illegal Campaign Solicitation On Behalf of Obama Campaign Group

By Brian Hews and Brian Hews

Los Angeles County Supervisor-Elect Hilda Solis is once again the subject of another national political controversy after an audio tape phone recording of her was released that details how the former US Labor Secretary sought campaign contributions from a subordinate on behalf of a campaign committee connected to the reelection of President Obama in 2012.

Hews Media Group-Community Newspapers obtained a copy of the explosive recording on Wednesday morning.

Rep. Darrel Issa of Fallbrook also issued a scathing press statement about Solis and her now famous phone call that is being reported by media outlets around the country.

Issa said in a statement that David Simas, who is the Director of the White House Office of Political Strategy and Outreach, was “in defiance of a congressional subpoena” when he failed to appear today to testify before a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on taxpayer-funded political campaign activity by government officials.

Issa and his Committee released an audio recording of then-United States Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis saying she was “illegally soliciting funds for President Obama’s re-election campaign in violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits political activity on official time.”

In his opening statement, Issa played a recording of a message left on the phone of a Labor Department subordinate pressuring the employee to contribute to President Obama’s re-election campaign. The recording subsequently became the subject of a complaint made to the Office of Special Counsel. Then-Labor Secretary Solis says:

“Hi—this is Hilda Solis calling, um, just calling you off-the-record here—Wanted to ask you if you could, um, help us get folks organized to come to a fundraiser that we’re doing for Organizing for America for Obama campaign on Friday at La Fonda at 6 p.m. Steven Smith, an attorney, and his staff are helping us [inaudible]. There are a lot of folks that we know that are coming but wanted to ask you if you might help contribute or get other folks to help out. I would encourage you to call this number, [inaudible]–that’s his assistant– at [phone number] and you can call [the attorney] yourself who’s a good friend, an attorney, good friend of mine, at [phone number]. And it’s for a Friday event at La Fonda [inaudible] we’re just trying to raise money to show that we have support here in [inaudible].”

Following opening statements, Issa immediately recessed the proceedings of the Committee. Simas refused to appear before the Congressional committee.

Issa said in a statement, “this is the White House’s latest attack on our Constitution’s system of checks and balances.”

HMG-CN contacted Solis through her political consultant Steven Barkan in Los Angeles via two different emails.  Barkan has not responded as of 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

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