The Henderson County Democrat Party already had one complaint dismissed that they filed against me with the U.S. House Communications Standards Commission, where I called out crime statistics in Buncombe County and Asheville and pointed out that Democrats run the City of Asheville.
The same members of the Henderson County Democratic Party have since filed a 44-page complaint, claiming that I was, among other things “mean-spirited” toward President Joe Biden and Hunter Biden in four of the newsletters I sent to constituents between May and December 2023, while I was a member of the House Oversight Committee and was officially engaged in investigating the Biden family.
Since it is possible that the Henderson County Democrat Party will once again complain that this newsletter might be mean-spirited and disparaging to Joe Biden or to the left, let me make clear that it is my belief that the following remarks are well within the official duties of my position as the U.S. representative of North Carolina’s 11th congressional district for the following reasons:
- Through this communication, I am speaking to a complaint that was filed by the Henderson County Democrats regarding actions I took in my official capacity.
- Through this communication, I am speaking in my official capacity to policies established by Congress and the U.S. House Communications Standards Commission in their official capacities.
- My statements about Joe Biden and his family are direct quotes from the complaint filed by the Henderson County Democrat Party challenging newsletters I have written in my official capacity.
- Further statements herein regarding Joe Biden’s presidency are either:
- Interrogatories, and not remarks, regardless of whether the Henderson County Democratic Party may find them embarrassing.
- Broad summaries of facts reported by numerous sources on matters that concern many American citizens.
- Background on my advocacy for needed changes to the U.S. House Communications Standards policies in my official capacity.
The allegations in the most recent complaint regarded my statements, which included “…the Bidens engaged in intentionally complicated financial transactions and pay-to-play schemes, and the Biden Department of Justice obstructed investigations into the president’s son for an array of offenses” and “No one is above the law, not even the president’s family. Those who blatantly abuse their authority must be held responsible.”
The complaint also explicitly called out a newsletter where I said, “The president’s family and senior White House officials have repeatedly lied about this knowledge and their involvement with foreign adversaries.” The Henderson County Democratic Party complained that these statements “did not concern my official activities, business, and duties.”
My response to these allegations is, first, I do not see it as my role in Washington to make nice with Joe Biden. One can only wonder why the Henderson County Democratic Party might want to prevent me from communicating the truth with my constituents about the problems resulting from his policies. Is it that Joe Biden’s policies and leadership are failing the American people? Is it that goods and services are costing American families $16,726 each year more than before his presidency, or that the border is a catastrophe, or that the world is more dangerous than ever, or that more youth are dying from drugs than ever before, or that abundant and affordable energy is under attack, or that our nation’s debt is soaring out of control? All interrogatories should be considered a poll and your remarks are invited.
Next, I firmly argue that it is well within my “official activities, business, and duties” to report on the findings and conclusions of the U.S. House Oversight and Accountability Committee, on which I actively served in 2023. My statements closely mirror the findings and comments made by other members, as well as reports and statements from that committee. I contend that it was very much within my duties in the interest of holding government officials accountable, even if that was criticized by the U.S. House Communications and Standards Commission for reporting on my committee’s official activities, and even if the complainant in this case might find them embarrassing to the president. Stemming from conversations with the commission, no one on the commission had even done enough simple research about this matter to realize that I was actually on the House Oversight Committee at the time, and that I was reporting on my official committee activities.
The House Oversight Committee was deeply engaged in getting to the truth about the Biden family’s dealings and their suspected lies that ultimately led to a House vote on Dec. 13, 2023 to conduct an impeachment inquiry of the president. One can only ask why the Henderson County Democratic Party does not want such news reported.
Is it that the Henderson County Democratic Party just does not want me to report on the behaviors or suspicions of this president, who has perhaps the lowest approval rating in our nation’s history? Or is it that they do not want me to report on the crime statistics of a city in my district that Democrats run?
I will not be deterred from reporting on matters under investigation by an official House committee.
It is important that the people in NC-11 know that in “negotiations” between the members and staff of the U.S. House Communications Standards Commission and me on resolving this complaint, I was urged, threatened and strong-armed in an attempt to have me to sign different iterations of a letter that implied I was wrong in communicating these findings to my constituents. They said over and over that if I signed such a letter making this admission, they could “make the issue go away.” Otherwise, the matter would go to a hearing before the commission, and “the Democrats would make it very hard on me.”
I refused to sign any such letter, and I welcome the opportunity to defend my and all our First Amendment rights and to preserve Congress’ ability and responsibility to communicate with our constituencies.
Washington’s strong-arming and threats will not stop me.
If the Henderson County Democratic Party is successful in stifling my voice through my use of mailers and newsletters to keep you informed, what will they try next? Could they try to censure social media? Would they advocate for an opponent’s gag order? Or might they even try to weaponize government agencies against those they disagree with?
Clearly this commission needs to rewrite its policy, before constituents like you possibly are prevented from knowing the full details of what we’re working on in Washington and I’ll be working to change their censorship.
