Hilda Solis asked to testify about alleged misconduct before House Oversight Committee

Hilda Solis, the former U.S. Labor Secretary who was elected to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors in June, has been invited back to Washington. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, wants her to testify about alleged inappropriate political activity during Barack Obama's re-election campaign.

The August 26th letter from the south Orange County Republican requests her testimony about violations of the Hatch Act, a 1939 law that limits the political activities of most executive branch employees. 

Last month, Issa released a 2012 voicemail from Solis asking a subordinate "off the record" whether she wanted to contribute or "get other folks to help out" with an Obama fundraiser at a Los Angeles restaurant.

Solis isn't the only Obama administration official on the hot seat. Issa has also invited the former Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sibelius to the September 9th hearing.

Issa's invitation to testify was not seconded by the ranking member of the committee, Elijah Cummings (D-MD), who refused to sign the invitation to Sibelius and Solis. He has accused Issa of issuing "baseless unilateral subpeonas" without input from the rest of the committee.

Issa responded, saying, "neither this Administration's misguided belief that its advisors enjoy absolute immunity from testifying nor the minority's absolute opposition to oversight of this administration will deter us from continuing to ask questions, particularly when there have been known violations of law by cabinet members."

These are likely the last few weeks that Vista Republican Darrell Issa will be holding the gavel at the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee. House Republicans have term limits for committee chairmen and unless Issa gets a waiver, he'll step down at the end of the year.

His committee has investigated a number of federal agencies - including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (the "Fast and Furious" case of tracking gun sales across the border), the State Department (the attack on Americans in Benghazi), the Internal Revenue Service (scrutiny of tea party groups), the Department of Homeland Security (overtime abuse), and reform of the U.S. Postal Service. 

At the beginning of committee hearings, Issa often recites: "Our solemn responsibility is to hold government accountable to taxpayers, because taxpayers have a right to know what they get from their government."

Request for testimony from House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform