(CNN) - Chair of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, wrote a letter to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus Thursday responding to an earlier request from the RNC that Attorney General Eric Holder investigate an "apparent" crime by President Obama.
Priebus accused the president Monday of misusing the White House Map Room to record a fundraising video. A White House spokesman noted the room is part of the White House residence, and therefore not subject to the restrictions placed on official rooms.
But Schultz, D-Florida, put the pressure on Priebus in her letter, asking the RNC and Republican presidential candidates to "forgo accepting contributions from Political Action Committees or federal lobbyists." She also called on presidential candidates to disclose their major fundraisers.
"I have noticed with great curiosity yours and the Republican Party's apparent newfound interest in transparency and accountability as it relates to campaign finance," Schultz wrote in the letter obtained by CNN. "Curious because, after all, the Republican Party has fought in Congress and in the courts virtually every effort over the past decade or more to rein in the influence of moneyed special interests in politics and to require greater disclosure and transparency."
Schultz said the steps would help restore confidence in the political process.
"Should you decline to take these steps, however, some in your own party who have referred to your latest machinations on this issue as 'absurd', 'an embarrassment' and 'laughable' will be confirmed in such an assessment," Schultz wrote.
RNC Spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski responded to the letter, accusing Schultz of "hypocrisy."
"It's time for Debbie Wasserman Schultz to get off her soapbox considering the DNC takes money from state lobbyists and Wasserman Schultz herself takes money from PACs," Kukowski said. "For the record, the RNC is curious when Debbie Wasserman Schultz became a spokesperson for the DOJ. We will continue to wait for an investigation from them into potentially criminal activity by this president."
– CNN's Rebecca Stewart contributed to this report.
From CNN Politics
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help
Debbie gets my vote and a check is in the mail
You go girl – finally the GOP trips over a REAL woman! Imagine the reverse scenario – if she was a Faux pol they'd be running around crying about "piling on the poor conservative woman" for 3 days. Keep swinging GF – and be ready for 2016!
Keep Slaying 'em, DEBBIE! I like this woman. Smart, intelligent and forward. Debbie, please don't let that too smart suited West with his 70's fade haircut off the hook for what he wants to do with the elderly medicare cuts. Hang him with it!
Voting for a Republican is like a chicken voting for Col. Sanders.
I've probably posted that too many times, but it's just too true to ignore.
@ Frank – Ohio
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the lowest of the low when it comes to politicians. She is the poster child of what's wrong with Washington.
___________________________________________________
How? Care to elaborate? The GOP has tried to criminalize the act of breathing by the President, they've gotten so petty. Now, because Wasserman Schultz has called out both Priebus and West within 24 hoursfor spouting nonsense, you declare that she is a symobol of what is wrong with Washington? We used to have a saying in graduate school: support your point, or don't make it. That advice applies to life in general.
And all these years here I was thinking that Reince Priebus was the Latin name for a particualry nasty social disease. Turns out I was wrong. It's not Latin at all.....
They got rid of Michael Steele for this guy. That's the best they could do.
Thank you Debbie, my check is in the mail. Give them a taste of their own medicine.
@R: Democrats don't "cater to the useless masses who don't want to get up and do anything," unless by that you mean:
- the seniors on Social Security who worked their entire adult lives and PAID INTO THE SYSTEM
- the disabled or children who had the bad luck of being born into a poor family
- the single mothers whose husbands died/abandoned/divorced them
Sure, there are folks on welfare that cheat the system; just like:
- Kenneth Lay, Jeff Skilling and the book-cookers of Enron, whose scheme resulted in the loss of people's life savings
- Neil Bush of S&L scandal fame (again, resulted in the loss of people's life savings)
- all the Wall Streeters who came up with derivatives algorithmic trading or the mortgage brokers who falsified loan application income statements and wrote mortgages to people who should never have qualified and then sold those mortgages which then were bundled and labeled excellent when in fact they were "toxic". (Sorry to be redundant, but this resulted in the loss of people's life savings.)
We, as taxpayers, bailed out all of the above to the tune of BILLIONS of dollars.
Have you been upset with these folks, too, or is their criminal activity OK because they are rich?
Just wondering ...
IIRC in the GWB days people would talk about "the President broke a law", but with BO
is in now labeled "criminal activity". Intentional?
Some one needs to give this little person a time out or just let him know he needs to stop embarrassing himself.
This is laughable.......they want this President investigated for his criminal activity......past Presidents have done the same and now it's illegal because Obama does it????? How petty the GOP is..we are at a possible shut down and filming a viedo now has become more important than our countries debt, jobs, economy......If anything needs to be investigated is the Politicans that took money from Pakistan (most were Republicans and the biggest money went to Republicans, investigate their own Party for their criminal activities, like letting the Rich and big corporation get by scott free in paying their fair share of Taxes, giving them all these loopholes and Tax Credits.....while taking more and more away from the middle class, elderly, poor and less fortuneate.......investigate that.......
Debbie: Great to see someone in the Democratic Party has some stones! Go for it - we need more people like you
who can take the many causes we have to deal with and spotlight them.
Keep up the good work - it is time to put on the front pages how the Repukes lie, provide false information, fear monger,
have destroyed our economy – NOT PRESIDENT OBAMA – but GEORGE W BUSH AND HIS PALS. This needs to
be repeated and repeated so that all Americans know how hard President Obama has been working to correct all of the
destruction we have endured because of Bush.
Thank you!
Has anyone seen Previous Rinse and Marc Rubio in the same room at the same time?
Just asking.
Can someone please tell me what "forgo accepting contributions from Political Action Committees or federal lobbyists" has to do with misusing the White House during a fundraising video ? Ms Schultz is so irrelevant it isn't even humorous, It's like a little kid trying to justify why he stole a role of candy from the drugstore. How about the DNC and all Dems not use Union funds for political campaigns.
The GOP: The party of "Do as I say, not as I do."
"She also called on presidential candidates to disclose their major fundraisers. "
This puts Obama and his thousands of pre-paid credit cards in the clear doesn't it. Why Iso many donations in small untraceable amounts to a political campaign.
Maybe next she can muster some outrage and write Mr. Holder to resign over that operation "Fast and Furious" that he never heard of. Lying to Congress is a crime too, but we don't see any outraged democrats there.
Never have I seen such incompetence and lack of leadership than is taking place now in the Congress!
God, I wish the President would show some other facet of his personality,if there is one, it may be way too late as he is going to let the Republicans run right over him and all of us when it all comes undone.
This thug Priebus needs to shut up. Where is his birth certificate? No one with a name like that could possibly be a "natural born citizen." Papers please.
Debbie is giving the GOP Tea Party NUTs hell!
Its interesting!...because Bacmann and stupid Sarah combine can't match the intelligence, wit and class of Debbie Wasserman Schultz!
She is one strong jewish American woman who is living the life of a true patriotic American that cares about the welfare of the middle class.....not some money grubbing airheads on the RIGHT that cares more about their deep pockets and govt. deductions aka Bacmann & Associates!!!!
Keep up the good work Debbie and don't let these idiot Republicans get to you. You are doing a great job so far and I would like to see it continue. You will hear a lot of whining and a lot of threats that if you don't play the game their way " they will pick up their toys and go home " but you stick by your guns girl.
Debbie for president in 2016.
Shultz is a lying sack of Democrat.
The dissent of Republican party officials and Republican elected officials behavior and comments into the gutter and ridicules infuriate me to no end. I am a veteran that service my country with honor. I have been observing politics for 25 years and never and I MEAN NEVER seen such disrespect shown towards the President or other party. I did not serve in two campaigns for the so call leaders of this country to act in such a way. Every time they chose to act in such deplorable behavior they dishonor every Soldier, every citizen, every ally that died in service of this country. Next time they should take a moment and consider what those honored dead gave and maybe theywill decide to act like a decent human being.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the lowest of the low when it comes to politicians. She is the poster child of what's wrong with Washington
================================================================================================
Just when you thought the Democrats couldn't find anybody worse than Nancy Pelosi, they find this vile POS. They never cease to amaze with the trailer trash they have in their party. The other kook they used to have before he got thrown out in 2010 was from Florida as well. Must be something in the water.