Earlier this month I submitted a formal Complaint, with 153 pages of supporting documents, to the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. The Complaint alleges that the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS); the Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF); Mr. Pacelle; Mr. Markarian the COO of the HSUS and the President of the HSLF; Ms. Perry, who was the Vice President of Government Affairs until May of this year when she became the Senior Vice President for Government Affairs for the ASPCA; and Ms. Sarah Amundson, the Executive Director for the HSLF, have been in continuous violation of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995.
The Lobbying Disclosure act of 1995 requires any person or entity that lobbies at the Federal Level to Register with the Clerk of the U. S. House of Representatives and with the Secretary of the Senate, and to file quarterly and semi-annual reports. "Lobbying" is defined in this Act as having as few as ONE CONTACT - - THAT IS RIGHT " ONE CONTACT" - - with a Member of Congress or a member of their staff, or a Senior Member of the Executive Branch (e.g. USDA) for the purpose of attempting to influence Federal Legislation or Policy. Downloaded documentation from the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives reveals "NO RECORDS" for any of the above six entities and individuals, notwithstanding the supporting documentation that suggests the number of direct and indirect "contacts" for the above six referenced entities and individuals may number in the HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS. In theory, there would be a total of 186 violations over the last five years, and if that number is multiplied by the maximum penalty for non-compliance of $50,000 for each violation, that would amount to a potential cumulative fine of $9.3 MILLON!!!!! While I do not believe that such a large fine would ever be assessed, just the theoretical possibility of such a large fine brings a smile to my face!
The Assistant U.S. Attorney who is reviewing the Complaint is a Mr. Keith Morgan. I know he is reviewing the Complaint because I have spoken to him on the phone on three different occasions.
If any of you believe, as I do, that it is appropriate for the Department of Justice to investigate alleged violations of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, you may make such a request by following the instructions at the end of the Article that I wrote, which Article is posted on the
Following Website Link: http://thecavalrygroup.
If Mr. Morgan were to receive several thousand E-Mails and Letters urging him to expedite his investigation of the Complaint that he has now received, it just might result in an investigation being put on the "FAST TRACK."
Frank
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