After nearly four years persecuting businesses, when she abruptly resigned in January 2013 as Barack Obama’s Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis had up to $100,000 in legal debts, she was the subject of an FBI inquiry into her role as an Obama reelection campaign fundraiser and, as it was later revealed, she had been “provided thousands of dollars worth of free private jet travel” by a California-based union boss of the International Union of Operating Engineers while undergoing her Senate confirmation hearings in 2009.
Now, as she’s recently been elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Solis may be in even more hot water due to a recording that points to what sounds like ‘improper’ fundraising on behalf of Obama and Organizing for America while she was labor secretary.
Solis’ recording may be, according to Rep. Darrel Issa, may be a violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits Executive Branch employees “from engaging in political activity while on duty or in the Federal workplace. It also prohibits them from soliciting or receiving political contributions.”
via Los Angeles Times.
U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa R-Vista released a recording on Wednesday that his office said supported allegations of improper fundraising activity by Los Angeles County Supervisor-elect Hilda Solis’ when she served as U.S. Secretary of Labor.
Issa, whose House Oversight and Government Reform Committee obtained the audio as part of an ongoing probe of political activities by government employees, played the recording during a hearing in Washington.
Solis could not be immediately reached for comment on the release of the recording. She has previously declined to comment in detail on questions about a related federal inquiry involving allegedly improper fundraising activity, but has said in statements that she does not believe she did anything wrong.
….
In the recording, the speaker identifies herself as Hilda Solis and says, “Just calling you off-the-record here. Wanted to ask you if you could, um, help us get folks organized to come to a fundraiser that we’re doing for Organizing for America for Obama campaign on Friday at La Fonda at 6 p.m.”
She goes on to say, “There are a lot of folks that we know that are coming, but wanted to ask you if you might help contribute or get other folks to help out.” [Emphasis added.]
As a major recipient of union cash while she was in Congress, when Solis served as labor secretary, she did union bosses’ bidding with zeal.
During her tenure she effectively reduced union transparency, attacked family farmers, appointed union bosses to committees, paid homage to union bosses and fought to help them expand their memberships.
For all her work in the demonization and persecution of businesses during her career, Hilda Solis had a high school renamed in her honor as the Hilda L. Solis Learning Academy.
Despite the newly revealed recording, it is doubtful that Solis will do any time or that her legal problems will cause her much of a setback in her new post on L.A. County’s Board of Supervisors.
In fact, in California, Solis’ legal problems may actually help her. After all, if Jerry Brown ever does retire, Solis may be in line to be the Democrats’ next gubernatorial candidate for California.
