New York – Long Island Congressman Caught Up In “Bar Mitzvah-Gate”

New York – Congressman Tim Bishop (D-Long Island) may be in serious trouble stemming from allegations that he solicited a contribution from a constituent in exchange for providing his assistance with a government matter.

POLITICO reports (http://bit.ly/SonA2O) that Eric Semler, a hedge-fund investor, wanted to have a fireworks display at his Southampton, NY home as part of his son’s bar-mitzvah party. But the fireworks company, Grucci Fireworks, had difficulty obtaining the necessary government permits it needed in order to host the show. With only five days until the bar-mitzvah celebration, Mr. Semler called Congressman Bishop on May 21 to ask for help.

The Congressman agreed to get involved. But before the issue was even resolved, Mr. Semler received an email on May 23 from the Congressman’s daughter and fundraiser, Molly Bishop, requesting a contribution to Congressman Bishop’s campaign in the amount of up to $10,000.

The email read, “Our Finance Chair, Bob Sillerman suggested to my dad that you were interested in contribution to his campaign and that I should be in touch directly with you. We are going to be in a tough, expensive campaign and so we are very grateful for your willingness to be of help. If you make a contribution before June 26th you and your wife may each contribute up to $5,000; after June 26th the most you can each contribute is $2,500,” she wrote.” The email was sent to Mr. Semler before he even knew if the Congressman could get the necessary permits.

Rep. Bishop did, in fact, secure the permits in time for the party. On June 26, Mr. Semler and his wife contributed a total of $5,000 to the Congressman. It was the first time they had ever made a donation to his campaign.

There are differing versions about who brought up the idea of making a contribution. Rep. Bishop says Mr. Semler suggested making a donation to show his appreciation, and that his fundraisers contacted Mr. Semler to follow up on his offer. Mr. Semler says the Congressman’s aides lobbied him for the money.

According to the House Ethics Manual, both scenarios are unlawful. The Manual states, “A solicitation for campaign or political contributions may not be linked with an official action taken or to be taken by a House Member or employee, and a Member may not accept any contribution that is linked with an action that the Member has taken or is being asked to take. . .In a similar vein, a Member or employee may not accept any contribution that the donor links to any official action that the Member or employee has taken, or is being asked to take.”

In response, the Congressman said, “I did my job. I was asked to fix a problem for a constituent that I did not create. I fixed it. I never directly solicited him. We told him how he could help. And then a month later, he helped. When we get a medal for a veteran and two months later he sends me $10, is that coerced or quid pro quo? When we fast-track a passport request, and when people get back from Europe and send me $100 in gratitude, is that coercion? No.”
Several days after the celebration, Mr. Semler wrote an e-mail to Grucci Fireworks saying that Rep. Bishop “didn’t hesitate to solicit me in the heat of battle” and that the funding request for up to $10,000 was “really gross.” The Congressman has said Mr. Semler made those remarks because he was trying to get a refund from the fireworks company after a stray firework caused $7,500 worth of a damage to his neighbor’s Bentley. Mr. Semler had to pay for his neighbor’s repairs.

In an interview with POLITICO, Mr. Semler tried to walk back his earlier comments, and said, “Tim never said anything to me about a donation. I didn’t know he was running for reelection. After the fact, after I got the permit, I did receive a request for a donation. He didn’t tell me, one of his campaign people told me, that he was in a hot race and needed a lot of support. I would love to support a guy like that. There was never a discussion of a contribution while he was trying to help me. He never asked me for money. It was someone with his campaign.”

Congressman Bishop will face Republican challenger Randy Altschuler in November.