John E. Sweeney
A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (March 2019) |
John E. Sweeney | |
---|---|
U.S. House of Representatives from New York | |
In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2007 | |
Preceded by | Gerald Solomon |
Succeeded by | Kirsten Gillibrand |
Constituency | 22nd district (1999–2003) 20th district (2003–2007) |
Commissioner of the New York State Department of Labor | |
In office January 17, 1995 – June 11, 1997 | |
Governor | George Pataki |
Preceded by | John F. Hudacs |
Succeeded by | James T. Dillon |
Personal details | |
Born | John Edward Sweeney August 9, 1955 Western New England School of Law (JD ) |
Occupation | attorney |
John Edward Sweeney[1] (born August 9, 1955) is an American politician from the U.S. state of New York. A Republican, he represented New York's 20th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from January 1999 to January 2007.[2] He was dubbed "Congressman Kick-Ass" by President George W. Bush for his take-no-prisoners style. He was defeated for reelection in 2006 by Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand.
Early life and education
Sweeney was born in
In 2000, Toby Eglund wrote:
"Sweeney ... embodies that embarrassment of the Left: the rightward drift of America's white working class males. The son of a shirt factory worker active in the Amalgamated Shirt Cutters Union, and a sometime resident of a housing project, Sweeney grew up in the old, gritty industrial city of Troy, New York. He put himself through law school, and toiled as a minor county bureaucrat until, one day, he was discovered by Republican State Chairman William Powers who made him executive director of the New York state GOP in 1992."[4]
Political career
Early career and New York Republican Party executive director
Sweeney was "Rensselaer County's one-time STOP-DWI coordinator."[5]
He was the Executive Director & Chief Counsel of the New York Republican Party from 1992 to 1995, a period of tremendous success for the state GOP. During Sweeney's tenure at state Republican headquarters, Rudy Giuliani was elected mayor of New York City (the first Republican to win the mayor's office in 28 years) and George Pataki was elected governor (the first Republican to win the Governor's Mansion in 20 years) and Republicans made gains in both houses of the state legislature and at the local level. Sweeney was Governor Pataki's first Commissioner of the State Department of Labor, from 1995 to 1997, then he moved to Governor Pataki's inner-circle staff as Deputy Secretary to the Governor, from 1997 until he resigned to run for Congress.
State Secretary of Labor under Pataki administration
As Governor George Pataki's Commissioner of Labor, Sweeney was the point-man on successful efforts to reform the Empire State's Workers' Compensation laws. Before the reforms, enacted in 1996, New York's workers' comp system had long been considered one of the most costly in the nation—57 percent higher than the national average, 53 percent higher than neighboring Massachusetts, 59 percent than neighboring Connecticut and 85 percent higher than neighboring New Jersey.[6]
New York's "landmark" workers' comp reforms created the Office of Workers' Compensation Fraud, an Inspector General, and a workers' compensation fraud unit at the State Insurance Department and elevated workers' comp fraud from a misdemeanor to a felony punishable by fines, restitution and incarceration.[7]
Congressional career
Election to U.S. House of Representatives in 1998
Prior to the 1998 election, Sweeney moved from
Sweeney was elected to the US House in 1998, winning with 55 percent of the vote over Democratic challenger Jean Bordewich,[9] despite the fact that President Bill Clinton carried the district over U.S. Senator Bob Dole in 1996 by a 46 percent to 41 percent margin.[10]
Re-elections
In 2000, Sweeney defeated Democrat Kenneth McCallion, receiving 68 percent of the vote.
In 2002, he defeated Frank Stoppenbach, getting 73 percent of the vote.
In 2004, he defeated Doris F. Kelly, receiving 66 percent of the vote.
Tenure and political positions
Sweeney generally, but not invariably, supported the positions of his fellow Republicans in the House.
Sweeney opposed gun control.[14]
He voted for prayer in public schools on numerous occasions and the National Education Association gives him an 18% approval rating.[15]
After the
In 1999 and 2001, Sweeney introduced legislation (the "Anti-Drug Legalization Act") that would ban all federal funding for research pertaining to
Before being elected to Congress, Sweeney was considered a moderate Republican who favored abortion rights;
2006 re-election campaign loss
In August 2006, Sweeney's allies filed successfully against signatures on Libertarian opponent Eric Sundwall's ballot petitions, resulting in Sundwall's name being removed from the general election ballot. However, Sweeney still lost the general election on November 7, 2006, to Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand with 47% of the vote.
Political activity after leaving Congress
Following his congressional tenure, Sweeney returned to the political process both locally and nationally as an election and compliance lawyer and strategist.
In 2012, Sweeney worked for Newt Gingrich's unsuccessful campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.
In April 2016, Sweeney was hired by Donald Trump's campaign to help organize New York during the primary and do compliance work.[22]
After Trump's election day victory, Sweeney, as the campaign's deputy counsel, led the effort on the ground in Wisconsin and Michigan to protect the campaign's advantage in those two key swing states during the recounts initiated by Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, and supported by Hillary Clinton's campaign.[23]
In December 2016, Sweeney joined the executive committee of
Controversies
Role in Florida recount in 2000
During the
Former Republican National Committee Chairman
Congressional ethics controversies
In September 2006, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) included Sweeney on its annual list of "The 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress," citing ethical concerns arising from a "ski trip to New York, the exchange of legislative assistance for campaign contributions and the hiring of his wife as a campaign fundraiser."[31]
Wife as fundraiser
On April 11, 2003, Sweeney began paying a company called Creative Consulting for fund-raising. The company had been founded a day earlier by Gaia "Gayle" Ford. Between April 2003 and December 2003, Sweeney's campaign paid $42,570 to the firm. Sweeney proposed to Ford in September 2003[32] and married her in 2004.
Sweeney spokeswoman Melissa Carlson said the congressman considers his wife "his best representative in the district when he's fund-raising." She said Ford, who had no previous fund-raising experience, receives a 10 percent commission on whatever she raises. Between January 2005 and April 2006, Ford was paid $30,879. Sweeney also has had a fundraising consultant on monthly retainer since June 2004, who is paid $8,583 a month.
Ford also works for Powers & Company, the lobbying firm of former state GOP Chairman William Powers, Sweeney's longtime political ally and onetime boss.[33]
Publicly funded ski trips
The Winter Challenge was started in 1998 by Sweeney's House predecessor,
In January 2006, Sweeney, his wife, and about 60 other people spent a four-day weekend at the facilities, competing against each other in skating, downhill skiing and bobsledding events. The group included Representative Pete Sessions (R-TX), a close friend of Sweeney[34] and his wife; and aides to U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), Representative Randy Kuhl (R-NY), and Representative Bart Stupak (D-MI).[35][36] The weekend cost the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) $27,500, plus in-kind services it provided and the costs of operating the Olympic venues for the competition (exact figures for the latter two were unavailable).[37] ORDA is a part of the New York State government.[38]
In the fall of 2005, the House ethics panel told Sweeney in a letter that he should be careful to let the Olympics groups invite guests to avoid the appearance of an endorsement by the House.
Invitations to the event officially come from ORDA and the U.S. Olympic Committee, a nonprofit group chartered by Congress. ORDA says the impetus for the event comes from the U.S. Olympic Committee. The U.S. Olympic Committee said it's really Sweeney's event.[35] Three committees of the NY State Assembly have launched investigations of the Challenge, focusing on whether public money was put to good use. ORDA President Ted Blazer, speaking at one such hearing, said Sweeney's office helped assemble lists of possible invitees to the event.[38]
Documents show that at least eight members of Congress, all Republicans, were also invited to attend the 2006 event but declined.[38]
The official invitation for the event read: "While this trip has proven itself to be an enjoyable one for delegation members in the past, it is, nevertheless, an official trip authorized by the House and Senate Ethics Committees . . . intended to provide an opportunity for Members of Congress and Congressional staff to inspect and evaluate the manner in which federal funds have been used to strengthen the area's tourism industry."[35]
Despite the House ethics rule requiring all travel paid by others to relate to members' official duties, and the ethics panel's letter that said that recreational activities must be "merely incidental to the trip", Sweeney has said that the panel said "it's perfectly appropriate for me to promote the event."[38]
The group attending the event included at least 15 registered lobbyists, including Pete Card, a former staffer of Sweeney's and the brother of former White House Chief of Staff
Seven of the lobbyists had contributed a total of $12,400 to Sweeney's campaign in 2005.[41]
Ties to Allen Stanford
Sweeney was part of a group of lawmakers known as the Caribbean Caucus, sponsored by disgraced financier
Disputed domestic violence report
On October 31, 2006, the
John and Gaia Sweeney subsequently said they would give the New York State Police permission to release a report about the incident. They said that the report was inaccurate but have not disputed its contents.[45] On November 17, 2006, the Times Union reported that there were two versions of the domestic violence report that had been prepared by the State Police, one that was sent to them, doctored and lacking details, and the original report.[46]
On July 22, 2007, the
Sweeney's first wife, Betty Sweeney, of Schaghticoke, told the Times-Union that she had "never observed any kind of behavior like that towards me or anybody else."[47]
The State Police moved to demote a State Police captain weeks after the November 2006 election, alleging that he had leaked the police report on Sweeney.
Alcohol issues
Attendance at college fraternity party
In April 2006, news outlets reported that Sweeney had attended a party at Union College's Alpha Delta Phi house in Schenectady; photographs surfaced of the congressman at the party, and the student newspaper Concordiensis cited witnesses stating that he was visibly intoxicated.[50] Democrats ridiculed Sweeney over the embarrassing photos;[50] Sweeney said through a spokeswoman that he had briefly spoken to students and posed for photos before departing, and that he was not drinking during the event.[51]
DWI convictions in 2007 and 2009
Sweeney was charged with aggravated
Early on the morning of April 5, 2009, Sweeney was pulled over by state police for speeding.[5] He refused a breathalyzer test ordered by the officer, and according to a newspaper report, "Sweeney allegedly told the officers he would not pass the sobriety test, adding he was in 'big trouble.'"[5] Sweeney was charged with felony DWI (since he had a prior DWI conviction within the past 10 years).[5] in a February 2010 plea deal, Sweeney admitted to driving drunk and pleaded guilty to lesser charges,[55] specifically a misdemeanor count.[56] The agreement allowed Sweeney to avoid a felony conviction and thus avoid disbarment.[56][57] He was sentenced to 30 days in county jail,[55] and was released in April 2010 after serving 17 days.[57] In addition to jail, Sweeney was also sentenced to three years of probation, 300 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay $2,000 in fines and surcharges.[55] His driver's license was revoked, and Sweeney also had to wear an ankle bracelet to detect alcohol consumption.[55][58]
Recovery from alcoholism
In 2011, Sweeney told a reporter that he had been sober since April 6, 2009.[56] He stated that others had spoken to him about his drinking since the late 1990s and that he had been a "highly functional alcoholic" during his career in elected office.[56] He described making amends with his family, describing his biggest loss from drinking as not the loss of his seat in Congress, but "the loss of myself and the loss of everything that went with it, the harm and hurt I created for people around me who I love and love me."[56]
2019 Troy Mayoral Election
In November 2019, leaked audio from a verbally abusive private meeting between McLaughlin, several of his top political and governmental aides, Sweeney, and then-Republican candidate for Troy mayor Thomas Reale, was published by the Times Union.[59] During the meeting, McLaughlin, County Director of Operations Richard Christ, County Director of Purchasing James Gordon, and Sweeney pressured Reale to drop out of the mayoral race and endorse Rodney Wiltshire, a third-party candidate defeated in the Democratic primary by incumbent Democratic Mayor Patrick Madden. Mr. Reale remained in the race and was defeated by Madden in the general election.
Personal life
Sweeney has three adult children from his first marriage. He lives in Clifton Park, New York. He has two young children with his wife, Erin, and two step-children from her prior marriage.[60][61]
Sweeney's father was the leader of a shirt-cutter's union in
Notes
- ^ "Lawyer John Sweeney - Albany, NY Attorney - Avvo". Archived from the original on 2018-01-08.
- ^ "SWEENEY, John E. - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- ^ "20 things you don't know about me: John Sweeney". 3 December 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "The Guy Who Gored Al: The irresistible ascension of John E. Sweeney," Toby Eglund, theGully.com [1]
- ^ a b c d e Bob Gardiner, "Sweeney to cops: 'I'm in... trouble': Ex-Congressman faces felony DWI; told troopers he'd flunk sobriety test," Albany Times Union found at Times Union story of 4-7-09 Archived April 9, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed April 7, 2009.
- ^ Dan Lonkevich, "N.Y. Gov. Signs Workers' Comp. Reform Into Law," Property Casualty 360, September 23, 1996, http://www.propertycasualty360.com/1996/09/23/ny-gov-signs-workers-comp-reform-into-law Archived November 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Workers Compensation Reform, The Vermont Legislative Research Shop, The University of Vermont
- ^ Joseph Crowley, "New Faces in the Congress", The New York Times, November 4, 1998
- ^ Jonathan P. Hicks, "New York's Congressional Freshmen Are New to the House, but Not to Politics", The New York Times, November 7, 1998
- ^ "The Guy Who Gored Al: The irresistible ascension of John E. Sweeney," Toby Eglund, The Gully [2]
- ^ a b c d e Greg Giroux, Party Loyalty Often Sacrificed by At-risk House Incumbents, The New York Times (September 27, 2006).
- ^ Raymond Hernandez, Call to Ban Gay Marriage Is Dividing Republicans, The New York Times (February 28, 2004).
- ^ a b David Staba, Race Profile: The 20th District in New York, The New York Times (2006).
- ^ Diane Cardwell, Mayor Gives Scorn to Guns, and Money to Their Allies, The New York Times (May 14, 2006).
- ^ a b c "John Sweeney on the Issues". OnTheIssues.org. Retrieved July 22, 2006.
- ^ NY gets more aid from Congress, United Press International, (November 17, 2001).
- ^ Edward Wyatt, David W. Chen, Charles Bagli and Raymond Hernandez, < After 9/11, Parcels of Money, and Dismay, The New York Times (December 30, 2002).
- ^ "H.R.196 - Anti-Drug Legalization Act: 107th Congress (2001-2002)". Congress.gov. 13 February 2001.
- ^ "H.R.278 - Anti-Drug Legalization Act: 106th Congress (1999-2000)". Congress.gov. 9 February 1999.
- ^ "Hinchey-Rohrabacher Roll Call Vote, 2006". SafeAccessNow.org. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved November 1, 2006.
- ^ Matthew J. Rosenberg, The 1998 Elections: Around the Region – New Faces In the Congress, The New York Times (November 4, 1998).
- ^ Haberman, Maggie (April 6, 2016). "Donald Trump to hold large rally on Long Island". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ Flood, Hannah (3 December 2016). "Lawsuit attempts to end Wisconsin recount". Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- ^ "Former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney joins Trump's executive transition team". 15 December 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- ^ "Ex-Congressman Sweeney of Clifton Park vets Trump staff". 12 January 2017.
- ^ "Trump advisor Sweeney is 'happy to be home' - Capitol Confidential". 26 January 2017.
- ^ Robert Parry, "Bush's Conspiracy to Riot", Consortium for Independent Journalism, August 5, 2002
- ^ Michael Tomasky, "Pol Versus Pole" Archived June 14, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, New York Magazine, March 19, 2001
- ^ Timothy Noah, "Sweeney and the Siege of Miami", Slate Magazine, November 28, 2000
- ^ Ed Gillespie, "Winning Right," pp. 101-102
- ^ CREW summary of ethics issues of Sweeney Archived October 2, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, September 2006
- ^ [3] Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Newsday, September 18, 2003
- ^ Elizabeth Benjamin, "For politicians, family ties can include payroll: Sweeney's wife is among the ranks of relatives on legislators' staffs", Albany Times-Union, May 8, 2005
- ^ "Judy Holland, On the Hill, the sound of silence: John Sweeney, still reeling from re-election loss to Kirsten Gillibrand, fails to show for votes" Archived January 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Albany Times-Union, December 10, 2006
- ^ Syracuse Post-Standard. Archived from the originalon September 27, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2006.
- ^ Syracuse Post-Standard. March 30, 2006. Archived from the originalon June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2006.
- ^ Rauch, Ned P. (July 11, 2006). "Legitimacy of ORDA event questioned". PressRepublican.com. Retrieved July 22, 2006. [dead link]
- ^ a b c d e Schor, Elana (July 18, 2006). "State Assembly questions funding of Sweeney's trips to Lake Placid". The Hill. Retrieved July 22, 2006.[dead link]
- Albany Times-Union blog. Archived from the originalon September 27, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2006.
- Albany Times-Union blog. Archived from the originalon October 10, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2006.
- ^ Thompson, Maury (April 3, 2006). "Sweeney ski guests contributed $12,400 to his re-election campaign (web page Google cached)". The Post-Star. Archived from the original on May 11, 2006. Retrieved July 23, 2006.
- ^ Sallah, Michael; Barry, Rob (December 27, 2009). "Feds probe banker Allen Stanford's ties to Congress". Miami Herald. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
- ^
Lyons, Brendan (October 31, 2006). "Congressman's wife called 911". Albany Times Union. Archived from the originalon December 13, 2006. Retrieved October 31, 2006.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2006-11-01.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ [4] Archived 2008-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
- Albany Times Union. Archived from the originalon October 13, 2007. Retrieved November 17, 2006.
- ^ Albany Times Union. Archived from the originalon September 27, 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
- ^ a b "Police Captain Demoted for Leaking Sweeney Report," News Channel 10 ABC, November 16, 2006, http://news10.com/2006/11/16/police-captain-demoted-for-leaking-sweeney-report/ Archived November 18, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c Don Lehman, Union: Captain is the scapegoat in Sweeney probe, Post Star (November 17, 2006).
- ^ a b Hernandez, Raymond (April 29, 2006). "Party Photographs Put a Congressman on the Defensive". The New York Times.
- ^ "Party Photographs Put a Congressman on the Defensive".
- ^ a b [5] Mahoney, Joe (November 11, 2006). "Former Rep. John Sweeney charged with aggravated DWI". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 11, 2007.
- ^ a b Robert Gavin, "Source: Sweeney passenger a shock: Arresting State Police officers in DWI case surprised to find a woman on ex-congressman's lap", Albany Times Union, November 14, 2007
- Albany Times Union, November 15, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Donohue, Emily (April 23, 2010). "Former Rep. John Sweeney officially sentenced for second DWI". The Saratogian. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Demare, Carol (March 6, 2011). "Sweeney talks of loss, healing". Times-Union. Albany, NY.
- ^ a b Jordan Fabian, Ex-congressman Sweeney released from jail, The Hill (April 30, 2010).
- ^ Stephen Williams (April 30, 2010). "After 17 days in jail, former congressman Sweeney completes sentence". dailygazette.com.
- ^ Lyons, Brendan. "McLaughlin: I'm the 'boss' of Rensselaer County". Times Union.
- Albany Times-Union blog. Archived from the originalon November 26, 2006. Retrieved July 22, 2006.
- Albany Times-Union. Archived from the originalon October 12, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2006.
- ^ James Dao, " Pataki Picks New Labor and Utility Chiefs", The New York Times, January 7, 1995