The Congressional Post Office scandal was the discovery of

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

among various Congressional Post Office employees and members of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, investigated 1991–1995, culminating in House Ways and Means Committee chairman

Dan Rostenkowski Daniel David Rostenkowski (January 2, 1928 – August 11, 2010) 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 t ...

(D- IL) pleading guilty in 1996 to reduced charges of

mail fraud Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical (e.g., the U.S. Postal Service) or electronic (e.g., a phone, a telegram, a fax, or the Internet) mail system to defraud another, and are U.S. fede ...

. Initially an investigation by the

United States Capitol Police The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States with nationwide jurisdiction charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States an ...

into a single

embezzlement Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking ...

charge against a single employee, evidence rapidly led to the inclusion of several other employees, before top Democrats in the House of Representatives moved to shut down the whole line of inquiry, despite protests from Frank Kerrigan, chief of the Capitol Police. A new investigation was started by the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

, which eventually submitted a report to Congress. This was held by Speaker Tom Foley (D- WA) until media reports of

and

money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...

leaked in

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

. Following public outcry, Democratic leaders of the House were pressured to refer the matter to the United States House Committee on House Administration, which started its own investigation. That committee broke into two parts along party lines, with the Democrats issuing a report saying the matter was closed, but the Republicans issuing a dissenting report, including a number of unanswered questions and problems with the investigation. The Republican charges were largely ignored until July 1993, when Robert Rota, the Congressional

Postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

, pleaded guilty to three criminal charges, implicating Representatives

(D-IL), Joe Kolter (D- PA) and his then Chief of Staff. They were accused of heading a

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...

to launder Post Office money through stamps and postal vouchers. Rostenkowski pleaded guilty in 1996 to mail fraud and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. In 2000, just before he left office, U.S. President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

pardoned Rostenkowski, which became part of a larger controversy about Clinton's pardons.

References

U.S. House of Representatives, Report of the House Administration Task Force to Investigate the Operations and Management of the Office of Postmaster, July 21, 1992.
* ttps://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE7DC1E3DF931A15754C0A964958260 NY Times, ''House Plans 2 Reports On Post Office Scandal'' July 22, 1992.br>NY Times, ''Rostenkowski Is Released From Wisconsin Prison'' Published: August 20, 1997.
* ttps://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9B05E5DB113DF935A25750C0A962958260 NY Times, ''REP. ROSTENKOWSKI WINS TOUGH BATTLE IN CHICAGO PRIMARY'' March 16, 1994.br>CNN ''Rostenkowski Hopes To Set Forth On the Road to Redemption'' Jan. 24, 1998.Washington Post, ''Ex-aide to Kolter Indicted in House Post Office Probe'' 1992.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Congressional Post Office Scandal 1991 scandals 1992 scandals 1991 in American politics 1992 in American politics Congressional scandals United States Postal Service Political corruption scandals in the United States Presidency of Bill Clinton

See also

References