It would be a safe guess that Politico is not Congressman Bill Shuster’s favorite news outlet.
Last April, they revealed that Rep. Shuster is dating an airline lobbyist. Yesterday, a report from Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan contained even more potentially politically damaging information.
Congressman Shuster, his girlfriend/Airlines for America Vice President Shelley Rubino hung out with Rubino’s boss Nick Calio during a fundraising trip to Florida.
The issue? Shuster, Chair of the House Transportation Committee, is currently trying to change the way the nation’s air-traffic control industry is organized in a way that would benefit the clients of Airlines for America.
“Several lobbyists on the fundraising trip were taken aback by the closeness displayed by Shuster, Calio and Rubino as they mingled at the Shelbourne Wyndham Grand hotel on posh Collins Avenue in South Beach,” they write. “These sources requested anonymity, not wanting to antagonize a powerful committee chairman and the largest airline lobby.”
“Multiple attendees said the trio spent much of the trip together, hanging out poolside on deck chairs in front of a cabana that was rented for the weekend fundraiser. The three also took a private shuttle organized by Calio with others to a dinner Saturday night at Garcia’s Seafood Grille & Fish Market, a well-known Cuban restaurant in Miami, the sources said.”
In response to this latest revelation, primary challenger Art Halvorson is calling on the Congressman to resign.
“This is a sobering moment for the people of the 9th Congressional District, and the country, one that demands the resignation of House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster for unpardonable corruption, cronyism, and pay-to-play government,” Halvorson wrote.
“Washington is completely broken because congressmen like Bill Shuster have put government up for sale to those who fill their campaign coffers with ungodly sums of money, the safety and prosperity of their constituents be damned,” he continued. “Because he has continually and so flagrantly flouted good government and the norms of decency, he must submit his immediate resignation to the Speaker of the House. Much more than his resignation, however, is needed to restore honor to Congress and the Republican Party he and his colleagues have so besmirched.”
The 9th Congressional District consists of all or parts of Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland Counties.
UPDATE: The Shuster campaign sent the following response to PoliticsPA:
“Art Halvorson has called on Congressman Shuster or other elected officials to resign over 15 times the last few years so this is nothing more than another political stunt from a candidate desperate to make news. Art Halvorson can’t talk about issues so he resorts to personal and disgusting attacks. It is absolutely ludicrous to even ask if Congressman Shuster would resign over a liberal tabloid-like story that is light on facts and heavy with misleading information. Instead Congressman Shuster is going to keep working on conservative solutions for the people of the 9th Congressional District.”
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16 Responses
Art Halvorson,
I have not heard one of your priorities for this election, only slander of your opponent.
The Holy Bible says, “sin is slander and slander in a sin.”
So think before you run someone down. I will not vote for you, had considered it, but not now.
“Clay Buckingham”. Art endorsed Cruz on January 31. On his Twitter feed he stated, “Vote God, vote family, vote Ted Cruz.” That is an endorsement. I will vote for Art but he should not be endorsing candidates. He needs every vote he can get and that includes Trump and Rubio supporters.
Seriously, does any of you think this stuff is new or only the Democrats are responsible ? When those big time money ” Conservatives ” like Richard Mellon Scaife moved his old man into the 9th District, the people at NESL CO.and Smith Trucking were the beneficiaries, not any of the sheeple that marched in to vote for the Shuster gang term after term . Wise up.
Two years ago Shuster spent $4 million falsely attacking Halvorson’s character instead of talking about the issues. Now Shuster says he does want to talk about the issues. I look forward to that, because Shuster has a lot of explaining to do.
Why did Shuster vote to raise the debt limit 15 times?
Why did he vote to fund Planned Parenthood?
Why did he vote for Obama’s executive amnesty?
Why did he vote to increase the EPA’s budget by $250 million?
Why did he vote to increase AmTrak’s budget by $7 billion?
Why did he vote for the bank bailouts and the auto bailouts?
Why did he vote for Obamatrade?
Why did he vote to recharter the Ex-Im Bank?
And, why does Pennsylvania still have the worst roads and bridges in America despite Bud and Bill Shuster each chairing the Transportation Committee?
To “PA Conservative”: I don’t think Art has endorsed anyone for president yet. Yes, he likes Ted Cruz’s effective fights in the Senate against the Establishment and intends to do the same in the House of Representatives, but Art hasn’t endorsed anyone yet. And this race in the 9th District isn’t about who gets elected President. It’s about sending man to congress who will be an honest, intelligent, highly effective representative of the people in this district – someone we cqn be proud of. Also, Art has clearly laid out his positions on numerous national issues and talks about it all the time. Just go to his website.
By the way, the country is $19,000,0000,000,000 in debt; how has Bill Shuster voted on raising the debt ceiling during Republican and Democratic Administrations?
Pa-9 is the most Republican district in Pennsylvania and has continuously elected a Shuster to represent it from 1972, 43 years on One Family Rule. One can conclude that the “conservative Republicans” of Pa-9 like their “free stuff” welfare at taxpayer expense as much as any city Democrat. There is a reason we are in the mess we are in. Bill Shuster has not sold out those who elected him; he has used his political power to reward them for their support, the same as any urban Democratic machine.
Let us hope the voters of Pa-9 choose a more dignified path forward.
Outsider, independent Art Halvorson is an agent of change. Another outsider, independent, Donald Trump, will be on the primary ballot April 26th and I expect the enthusiasm that Donald Trump brings to this election will be to the benefit of Art Halvorson. It is not only the Democrats and their corrosive Leftist agenda who must be defeated; it is, also, the complicit Republican Establishment which has colluded, so cynically, with Democrats to enable Obama to advance his Leftist agenda.
The Democrats must be defeated.
The Republican Establishment must be defeated.
The dishonest, agenda driven media, both Democrat and Republican must be defeated. Donald Trump is, uniquely, positioned to do that. He is not a conservative but he is conservative enough; “My 80% friend is not my 20% enemy”. Donald Trump is an agent of change.
Outsider Art Halvorson is a grassroots Republican independent of the Republican Party leadership. Bill Shuster is an archetype of the Corporate Crony, primarily, highway contractors and vendors. There is a reason we are in the mess we are in and Bill Shuster is one of them. Bill Shuster is NOT a conservative; he is a DC crony, literally, in bed with a lobbyist!
Liberal Politico reports:
Shuster lounges poolside with airline lobbyists as he pursues FAA bill
It’s the latest example of the Transportation Committee chairman’s coziness with the airline industry.
By Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan 02/23/16
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/bill-shuster-faa-bill-airline-lobbyists-219666#ixzz41BsCZQuc
FTA On Feb. 10, Nick Calio, head of the nation’s top airline trade group, Airlines for America, testified before Rep. Bill Shuster’s House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The topic was a top priority for both men: A bill to overhaul the Federal Aviation Administration, most controversially by putting air traffic control in the hands of an entity favorable to the airlines.
Two days later, Shuster’s committee approved the measure. And the week after that, he and Calio escaped to Miami Beach, Florida, with Shelley Rubino, an Airlines for America vice president who is Shuster’s girlfriend
Art Halvorson is head and shoulders above Bill Shuster. Vote for Art Halvorson on 4/26/16.
The sheeple should be calling for Shuster’s resignation. What is wrong with people? Can’t they see that Shuster is a low life? His dad resigned because of his involvement with a lobbyist. If Bill has learned any lessons from his father, it would be to stay the course and not resign. We the people need to insist that he resign because we expect more from our elected officials. But alas, the sheep snooze on.
I agree with Art , but asking for Shuster to resign is an attempt to get publicity.
I think Art needs to tell us what his priorities are when he becomes a member of Congress. Art needs to give voters a reason to vote for change instead of criticizing Shuster all the time. I hear all the negativity about Bill but I do not hear his plans to change Congress. What are Art’s views on coal, illegal immigration, and national security. Art endorsed Ted Cruz and he needs to let us know his views about the dishonest tactics of the Cruz campaign. I am not a fan Shuster but Art needs to share a plan instead of throwing criticisms all the time.
Gotta love Shuster’s response. “They caught me with my pants down (again), and they’re just picking on me because I’m so conservative!”
Sleeping with a lobbyist doesn’t make you a paragon of conservative virtue, Bill.
It’s safe to assume that Art has zero meaningful challenges to Shuster’s voting record. Instead he’s forced to try and make news out of a congressman drinking with a lobbyist. Big news Art! Glad you uncovered that one for us.
Desperation is a pungent scent.
Shuster is an utter fool. These big lobbyist organizations hire attractive shills to bed down influential politicians and influence their votes. As soon as Shuster is out of power his ‘girl-friend’ will disappear into the arms of some other powerful congressman. In the meantime our congressman steers billions of your tax dollars into the coffers of the big corporations who have hired the lobbyist organization. Maybe we need someone like Halvorson who at least knows how to avoid a rat when he smells it. Your tax dollars would be a lot safer.
Maybe Shuster is tight with Nick and the gf is just camoflauge? Or maybe the have a weird 3-way going?
Art Halvorson is a dope. All these foolish tea party wackjobs challenging incumbents have no idea what it takes to govern and would be laughed out of Congress.