Politics

Democratic Lawmaker Wants Congress To Install Pool At Capitol

Alex Pappas Political Reporter
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A Democratic lawmaker from California has put out a zany press release calling for the installation of an “aboveground pool” in room 2154 of the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill.

Yes, this happened.

The sarcastic news release from Rep. Tony Cárdenas was meant to draw attention to what the Democrat says are “witch hunts” being conducted by Rep. Darrell Issa, the Republican chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

“We are picking winners and losers, when it is clearly obvious that witches can only be found by dunking them in water,” Cárdenas said. “If they float they’re a witch. If they don’t, installing a pool will allow us to retrieve the non-witch before he or she drowns.”

Room 2154 is the hearing room of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Cárdenas said he plans to call the new pool the “Senator Joseph R. McCarthy Memorial Truth Pond.”

“Like the chairman, I am interested in effective government oversight and reform,” he said. “This pool will allow that to take place, wasting far fewer taxpayer dollars in the process.”

Cárdenas explained that his frustration came after the committee voted to force David Simas, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, to appear before the committee. This, the Democrat said, “despite the fact that neither the committee nor a special counsel had identified any evidence of inappropriate activity by Simas or the office he directs.”

Cárdenas said the pool would also be available for staff and lawmakers to use for recreation.

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