Gomez: It's Time For NEW Leadership In Bay State

Gabriel Gomez, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in the Massachusetts open seat special election, today spoke to supporters at the John Adams statue in Quincy. He addressed the need for Congressional term limits and took questions from the media.

“Our founding father, John Adams, fought for term limits and understood that we need citizen legislators, not career politicians. Look around at the dysfunction and lack of transparency in Washington today. The need for term limits has never been greater.” said Gomez.

Massachusetts Republican Party Chair Kirsten Hughes added “Ed Markey has had a ringside seat for nearly four decades to the mess in Washington D.C. Over the past week, we’ve seen endless news reports about scandals in D.C. while Ed Markey and the same old politicians offer the same old promises they did the last time there was a scandal in D.C. It’s about time Ed Markey retired.”

“Congressman Ed Markey voted against term limits but is the poster boy for term limits.” said Gomez. “He has spent his entire campaign slinging mud and avoiding the issues that matter in this election: jobs and the economy. For me this is simple: the President is term limited, the House and Senate should be too. That’s why I’m calling for a two-term limit for newly elected Senators and a three-term limit for newly elected Representatives.”

Responding to a media question about an invoice recently sent to Gabriel Gomez, Gomez responded that the bill had been paid.

“I just found out about this invoice, but I’ll take him at his word, a check was delivered to him this morning and unlike Ed Markey, my check won’t bounce.” said Gomez.

Background:

Research Bullets

In 1991, Members Of Congress Were Caught Abusing Bank Privileges, Bouncing Thousands Of Checks

• In September 1991, The GAO Reported House Members Had Bounced 8,331 Checks, And The Private House Bank Had Covered Them. “While there had been questions about the bank’s practices in the past, the controversy began Sept. 18, when the General Accounting Office, the bank’s auditor of record, issued a report saying that House members had bounced 8,331 checks between July 1989 and June 1990 and the bank had covered them.” (Guy Gugliotta, “House Votes To Shut, Audit Bank,” The Washington Post, 10/4/91)
• In October 1991, The House Voted To Shut Down The Private Bank And Ordered The Bank’s Audit Record Sent To The Ethics Committee For An Investigation. “Bowing to an outpouring of public outrage, the House yesterday voted overwhelmingly to shut down its private bank and ordered the bank’s audit records sent to the ethics committee for an investigation into possible abuses by members of Congress who have bounced thousands of checks on their personal accounts.” (Guy Gugliotta, “House Votes To Shut, Audit Bank,” The Washington Post, 10/4/91)

Markey Bounced 92 Checks Totaling $63,326

• Rep. Ed Markey Bounced 92 Checks, Totaling $63,326. “The politically-combustible congressional bank scandal yesterday claimed 303 new victims – including seven Massachusetts lawmakers – who wrote bad checks on their House accounts. … Markey, who admitted to some overdrafts last October but had refused to disclose his banking transactions, wrote 92 bad checks – making him the third worst offender in the state delegation. The Malden Democrat said yesterday that the amounts of the overdrafts – including 85 checks and seven cash withdrawals – totalled $63,326.” (Joe Battenfeld, “The Sorry Six!; New Bank Hit List Targets Mass. Congressmen,” The Boston Herald, 4/17/92)

• Yet, Markey Claimed He Never Knowingly Wrote A Check When There Were Insufficient Funds In His Account. “Rep. Edward Markey of Malden said he had not knowingly written a check when there were insufficient funds in his account and had not received any checked return.” (John W. Mashek, “Speaker Foley Gives Cuomo Plug For President, If He Runs,” The Boston Globe, 10/1/91)

Markey has repeatedly voted against Term Limits:

• In 1995, Rep. Markey Voted Against Term Limits For Congress. “Passage of the joint resolution to propose a constitutional amendment to impose a 12-year lifetime limit on congressional service in each chamber.” (H. J. Res. 73, CQ Vote #277: Rejected 227-204: R 189-40; D 38-163; I 0-1, 3/29/95, Markey Voted Nay)

• In 1997, Rep. Markey Again Voted Against Term Limits For Members Of Congress. “Passage of the joint resolution to propose a constitutional amendment to impose a 12-year lifetime limit on congressional service in each chamber.” (H. J. Res. 2, CQ Vote # 21: Rejected 217-211: R 180-45; D 37-165; I 0-1, 2/12/97, Markey Voted Nay)

• Markey Has Served In Congress For Over 36 Years. (Rep. Markey Website,http://markey.house.gov/about-ed, Accessed 5/1/13)