Tuesday, January 12, 2010
John Dingell and former GM CEO Fritz Henderson (photo: Bill Pugliano, Getty Images North America)
As a congressman from Michigan for the last 54 years, Democrat John Dingell Jr. has paid close attention to the needs of his state’s flagship industry: automobile manufacturing. But Dingell’s relationship with one of the Big Three automakers has transcended the usual corporate-politician connection because of his wife, Deborah Dingell. Mrs. Dingell is the granddaughter of a founder of General Motor’s Fisher Body division and has spent years working for GM, both as a lobbyist and in public relations. Whenever Congressman Dingell has made decisions that potentially impacted GM, he has had not only his constituents to consider, but also the livelihood of his own family.
According to a review of Dingell’s personal holdings by The Washington Post, he and his wife made millions of dollars from their GM stock in the early 2000s. During this time, the congressman voted against emissions and fuel-economy standards that could have hurt the short-term profitability of automakers. Dingell also has opposed new regulations for air bags, seat belts and tailpipe emissions, and he supported the bailout of the auto industry that resulted in the U.S. government owning 60% of GM.
Nothing in Congress’ ethics rules forbid spouses from having jobs in areas that lawmakers might vote on. Nor do the rules require a senator or representative to abstain from voting on subjects that may affect their personal bottom-line.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Dingells and GM Illustrate Limits of Congressional Conflict-Of-Interest Rules (by Kimberly Kindy and Robert E. O'Harrow Jr., Washington Post)
Top Industry Contributions: John Dingell (OpenSecrets.org)
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