Background Checks for Congressional Employees Proposed by Rep. Kat Cammack
Rep. Kat Cammack from Florida is advocating for background checks for all Congressional staff, highlighting what she sees as rampant foreign influence within Capitol Hill—an issue she describes as “the worst-kept secret.”
Cammack has put forth a resolution mandating the disclosure of employees’ nationalities and any payments made by foreign governments to both current and prospective hires on Capitol Hill.
This initiative comes in light of recent reports indicating that the FBI is probing a senior Republican aide suspected of acting as a foreign agent for Qatar. There have also been revelations about Cuban and Chinese spies infiltrating Congressional offices.
In a recent interview, Cammack noted that fellow Floridians, including Republican Mario Diaz-Balart and Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz, were both targeted by foreign influence efforts.
Specifically, Diaz-Balart has been targeted by Qatar for his support of a bill labeling the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group. There’s even been a discovery of a Cuban spy attempting to embed informants within his staff.
Cesar Gonzalez, Diaz-Balart’s chief of staff, emphasized that foreign interference is a persistent danger, stating, “We know this firsthand. The Cuban regime has repeatedly tried to infiltrate our office.”
Wasserman Schultz recently caught an employee who was found to be receiving money from a foreign government in exchange for obtaining sensitive files. Cammack noted that the Justice Department is preparing to release a report about issues related to staffing and foreign employees.
Additionally, Representative Anna Paulina Luna announced that troubling declassified information about a former congressman with ties to a foreign government would soon be revealed.
Meanwhile, a long-time aide to Rep. Don Beyer was dismissed last year for attempting to facilitate interactions between his office and the Chinese embassy. Former Rep. Eric Swalwell has also been highlighted as a target of a Chinese influence campaign.
“We operate with complete freedom in the Capitol,” Cammack pointed out. “Our adversaries are well aware of this and are exploiting it.” Cammack indicated that House Republican leaders informed her that the bill would require 100 co-sponsors to move forward. However, she expressed concerns that some leadership members might be hesitant to allow the bill to pass.
“There are so many issues coming to light, including misconduct cases that suggest there is significant wrongdoing among our staff,” she noted.
Recent revelations included accusations against Sen. Ruben Gallego, who was reported to have had affairs with two House staffers, leading to new discussions around regulating romantic relationships between members and staff.
“In Gallego’s situation, this affair shows a bigger issue we face regarding sexual misconduct—specifically, the power dynamics at play,” Cammack stated. She believes relationships between Congress members and their staff are inappropriate, regardless of the scenario.
Gallego dismissed the concerns as “gossip,” though he didn’t dispute the affair.
At present, while Congressional offices can perform background checks on their employees, there’s no requirement for them to do so. Financial disclosure rules and regulations regarding foreign relations are also lacking, raising concerns among both parties.
Cammack’s resolution would have the House Sergeant at Arms conduct background checks at a cost of $750 each. She argues that spending a total of $9 million to vet all 12,000 Congressional aides would be a reasonable investment in national security.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to, except the leadership, has shown full support for this,” she added. “But, ultimately, the rules committee seems to be acting on the directives of the leaders.” Johnson’s office did not provide any comments on the matter.
