The Gang of Seven refers to a group of freshmen Republican U.S. Representatives, elected to serve in the 102nd Congress in 1990. The group loudly condemned the House banking scandal and the Congressional Post Office scandal, forcing the congressional leadership to address the issues by ensuring the incidents stayed in the media and public eye. The group also criticized other Congressional perks, such as congressional subsidies for the Capitol Barbershop and Senate Restaurant. [1]
Two members of this group, Jim Nussle and John Boehner, were also key drafters of the Contract with America, which along with the banking and post office scandals helped the Republicans take control of the House in the 1994 elections.
The House banking scandal broke in early 1992, when it was revealed that the United States House of Representatives allowed members to overdraw their House checking accounts without risk of being penalized by the House bank (actually a clearinghouse). The House banking scandal ultimately involved more than 450 representatives, most of whom did not break any laws. Twenty-two congressmen and -women were singled out by the House Ethics Committee for leaving their checking accounts overdrawn for at least eight months out of a sample of 39 months. [2]
The Congressional Post Office scandal refers to the discovery of corruption among various Congressional Post Office employees and members of the United States House of Representatives, investigated from 1991–1995, climaxing in the conviction of House Ways and Means Committee chairman Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL). The Republican charges were largely ignored until July 1993, when Congressional Postmaster Robert Rota pleaded guilty to three criminal charges, implicating Representatives Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL) and Joe Kolter (D-PA). They were accused of heading a conspiracy to launder Post Office money through stamps and postal vouchers. Rostenkowski was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison, in 1995. [3]
The seven Representatives were: [1]
By 2015, none of the 'Gang' remained in Congress, following the retirement of Boehner. One of the seven successfully ran for higher office, one was defeated for re-election, and five retired. [1]
Rick Santorum was once considered a rising star in the Republican Party. He was the first of the Gang of Seven to run for higher office, and the only one who was successful, becoming the junior U.S. senator from Pennsylvania in the Republican landslide of 1994. Santorum served two terms in the Senate and rose to the level of Senate Republican Conference chairman before being defeated by State Treasurer Bob Casey in 2006. He ran for the Republican nomination for president in 2012, where he did not win the nomination, and later ran in the 2016 Republican primary.
Charles Taylor remained in the House for eight terms. He was defeated in 2006, losing to former NFL quarterback Heath Shuler.
Two retired from the House to run for higher office. Frank Riggs left his House seat after three terms in 1998 to run unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate seat held by Barbara Boxer. Jim Nussle retired in 2006 after eight terms to run for the open Iowa governor's seat but lost to Democratic candidate Chet Culver. Nussle had served previously as chairman of the House Budget Committee and was then selected to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under President George W. Bush.
Klug, Doolittle, and Boehner have returned to private life. Scott Klug chose to keep his initial campaign promise of only serving four terms and to refocus on his business. John Doolittle's reputation was tainted by involvement in the Jack Abramoff scandal and retired at the end of his ninth term in 2008. John Boehner became the House Majority Leader in 2006, then House Minority Leader in 2007 and then Speaker in 2011 when Republicans won back majority control. He resigned from the position of Speaker October 31, 2015.
The House banking scandal broke in early 1992, when it was revealed that the US House of Representatives allowed its members to overdraw their House checking accounts without the risk of being penalized by the House bank, which was actually a clearinghouse.
John Taylor Doolittle, is an attorney and an American politician. Elected to Congress in 1990, he served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009, representing California's 4th congressional district. In the 109th Congress, he held a leadership role as the Deputy Whip for the Republican party in the House. He was succeeded in the House of Representatives by Tom McClintock. Before being elected to Congress, he had served in the California State Senate from 1984 to 1991.
James Allen Nussle is an American businessman and retired politician who has been president and chief executive officer of the Credit Union National Association since 2014. Nussle served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2007 and was the Republican nominee for the 2006 Iowa gubernatorial election, losing to Democrat Chet Culver. He was then appointed director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 2007 by President George W. Bush, an office he retained until 2009.
The 106th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 1999, to January 3, 2001, during the last two years of Bill Clinton's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Twenty-first Census of the United States in 1990. Both chambers maintained a Republican majority.
Daniel David Rostenkowski was a United States Representative from Chicago, serving for 36 years, from 1959 to 1995. He became one of the most powerful legislators in Congress, especially in matters of taxation. He was imprisoned in 1996. A Democrat and son of a Chicago alderman, Rostenkowski was for many years Democratic Committeeman of Chicago's 32nd Ward, retaining this position while also serving in Congress.
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Frank Duncan Riggs is an American army veteran, former law enforcement officer, charter school executive, and politician from the states of California and Arizona.
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The Congressional Post Office scandal refers to the discovery of corruption among various Congressional Post Office employees and members of the United States House of Representatives, investigated 1991–95, climaxing in House Ways and Means Committee chairman Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL) pleading guilty in 1996 to reduced charges of mail fraud.
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Richard John Santorum is an American politician, attorney, author, and political commentator. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007 and was the Senate's third-ranking Republican from 2001 to 2007. Santorum ran for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, finishing second to Mitt Romney. In January 2017, he became a CNN senior political commentator. However, he was terminated from his contract with CNN in May 2021 due to comments he made about Native Americans a few weeks prior which were deemed "dismissive".
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