(AANEWS) - A mushrooming scandal over members of the U.S. congress and a shadowy
religious "fellowship"based in Washington, DC is attracting more
news coverage and questions, and could lead to calls that the House
Ethics Committee open an immediate investigation.
The story began when Sen. John Ensign admitted to having an
extramarital affair with a former aide. What made the tabloid aspect
more salacious, though, was that Ensign -- a strong crusader against
separation of church and state -- is linked to a religious-right
group that maintains an anonymous enclave in Washington, DC where
a number of key politicians, including Sen. Ensign, reside while
congress is in session. Dubbed "the family" or "the Fellowship,"
the unmarked building is also the venue for constant prayer, bible
meetings, and now, it seems, political strategy brain storming,
spin-control and campaign fund raising.
Ensign's hypocrisy and un-masking has focused media attention on the
"Christian mafia" and raised questions about what is taking place
behind closed doors of the C Street house "in the name of the lord."
-- Just eight days after the Ensign scandal made headlines,
a political action committee with ties to the disgraced senator
made a $5,000 contribution to the campaign of another "Fellowship"
member and resident, U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp of Tennessee. Chattanooga
Times Free Press reporter Andy Sher noted: "Ensign's political
action committee, Battle Born PAC, contributed the money on June 24
according to Federal Election Committee records. Wamp's campaign
received the contribution on June 29, his Tennessee Registry of
Election Finance shows."
One Wamp-connected operative , John Crisp refused to discuss the
donation, other than to say that "This is important because of how
hard Zach works... for the people of Tennessee."
Others weren't so sure. State Democratic Party Chairman Chip
Forrester questioned the timing and circumstances, telling reporters:
"It would seem to me that if you were running for governor and you
were running on a set of moral values that Zach Wamp seems to talk
about, you'd be sort of reluctant to receive financial support from
an admitted adulterer."
Wamp also reported a $1,000 contribution from the Mint Political
Action Committee linked to another religious right partisan,
U.S. Sen. Jeff DeMint (R.-SC). "Numerous news accounts" link DeMint
to the same C Street enclave as Wamp and Ensign, but the senator's
office is now denying this.
-- Somewhat off the radar at present is South Carolina Gov. Mark
Sanford, a Republican who is still working through his own imbroglio
involving an adulterous affair with a South American woman. Sanford
is a member of the "Fellowship" and reportedly received "spiritual
counseling" at the C Street house. We also should not forget about
US Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.) now charged by his estranged wife
with having an affair while residing at the "Fellowship" residence.
-- How far will "Fellowship" residents and members go in
avoiding media scrutiny, or even official inquiries by congress?
One disturbing indicator is a July 22 piece on the Buzzflash web blog
by Mark Karlin, referring to material unearthed by Jeff Sharlet,
author of "The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of
American Power." The latter writes:
Family leaders consider their political network to be Christ's avant
garde, an elite that transcends not just conventional morality but
also earthly laws regulating lobbying. In the Family's early days,
they debated registering as "a lobby for God's Kingdom." Instead,
founder Abraham Vereide decided that the group could be more
effective by working personally with politicians. "The more invisible
you can make your organization," Vereide's successor, current leader
Doug Coe preaches, "the more influence you can have." That's true --
which is why we have laws requiring lobbyists to identify themselves
as such.
But David Coe, Doug Coe's son and heir apparent, calls himself
simply a friend to men such as John Ensign, whom he guided through
the coverup of his affair. I met the younger Coe when I lived
for several weeks as a member of the Family. He's a surprising
source of counsel, spiritual or otherwise. Attempting to explain
what it means to be chosen for leadership like King David was --
or Mark Sanford, according to his own estimate -- he asked a young
man who'd put himself, body and soul, under the Family's authority,
"Let's say I hear you raped three little girls. What would I think
of you?" The man guessed that Coe would probably think that he was
a monster. "No," answered Coe, "I wouldn't." Why? Because, as a
member of the Family, he's among what Family leaders refer to as the
"new chosen." If you're chosen, the normal rules don't apply.
It's a statement that should concerns about transparency on
C Street. Will "Fellowship" members charged with inappropriate
behavior cover for each other? If so , the term "Christian mafia"
becomes most appropriate given the "code of silence" or "omerta"
being practiced on C Street.
-- There are reports that some "Fellowship" operatives in high
places are now seeking cover amidst the widening scandal and
public attention. According to the Detroit News, for instance,
U.S. Rep.Bart Stupak now claims that "he does little more than
sleep in a room he rents there."
Another "Fellowship" member, Rep. Joseph Pitts of Pennsylvania (a
member of the Congressional "Values" Coalition that promotes religious
right legislation on Capitol Hill) issued a statement that he does
not reside at the C Street lair.
For the public, all of this must raise concerns about what is taking
place behind the doors at the C Street retreat and residence.
Were powerful individuals like these representatives linked in
such intimate and peculiar fashion to, say, a corporate interest
group or international mission, there would be an outcry for an
immediate congressional investigation. The C Street residence,
however, enjoys the mantle of religious probity. Its members do
not seem to be living up to that standard.
Links to the C Street Scandal
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jul/21/tennessee-wamp-took-campaign-money-nevadas-ensign/?breakingnews
Tennessee: Wamp took campaign money from Nevada's Ensign State
campaign finance records show U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., accepted
a $5,000 contribution from U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., who lives
in a Capitol Hill Christian fellowship house with Mr. Wamp. The
contribution came 13 days after Sen. Ensign admitted to the world
he had had an affair with a former staffer. Sen. Ensign's political
action committee, Battle Born PAC, contributed the money on June 24,
according to Federal Election Commission records. Rep. Wamp reported
receiving the contribution to his gubernatorial campaign on June 29,
according to his Tennessee Registry of Election Finance disclosure.
http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/9044
"C Street" Cabal of Anti-Democracy Fundamentalist Senators and Reps
Wouldn't Turn Over Child Rapist Among Them to Police? Kudos to Rachel
Maddow for latching on to the captivating and chilling story about
not just the lascivious and potentially illegal activities of some
of the "C Street" Family, but -- more importantly -- focusing on
their belief that they are chosen by God to lead and infiltrate our
government. And she hasn't stopped pursuing this startling story,
defying the normal news cycle of a nano-second of coverage unless
it's Michael Jackson's death or a blonde white girl disappearing
in Aruba.
What gets lost in the disgusting details of Ensign's adulterous
affair, Mark Sanford's (an associate member of the Family) lust for
an Argentine, and former Congressman Chip Pickering's adulterous
bonking on-site at the C Street "Christian fellowship house" is
something that Maddow has repeatedly come back to: these men don't
believe they are responsible to moral or governmental laws. If
they deviate from the "righteous path," God is only testing their
strength, because they are the ones divinely chosen to lead --
and it is weakness to succumb to remorse about one's "misbehavior."
That is why Mark Sanford said he won't resign and compared himselfto King David, who slept adulterously with Bathsheba and then had her husband killed.
