Corrine Brown
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Corrine Brown (born November 11 1946), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, representing the 3rd District of Florida. (map (http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/fl03_109.gif))
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Biography
Born in Jacksonville, Florida, she was educated at Florida A&M University and the University of Florida, and was a faculty member of the University of Florida and a member of the Florida House of Representatives before entering the House. She is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Investigations
A few weeks after becoming member of the US House in 1993, the Federal Elections Commission began investigating her. She admitted that her federal campaign reports contained several errors. However, she only admitted this when her campaign treasurer resigned after Brown refused to take actions against an aide that forged names.
In 1996, Brown improperly received a $10,000 check from a secret account, used for the money laundering of Baptist leader Henry J. Lyons.
Ethics Violations
On June 9, 1998, the Congressional Accountability Project filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Brown. The Project called for U.S. House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to investigate several violations of House Rule 10 [1] (http://www.congressproject.org/ethics/corbrowncom.html). One of the complaints was that Foutanga Dit Babani Sissoko, a West African businessman, purchased a $50,000 Lexus for Brown's daughter after Brown lobbied Janet Reno to release him from prison through the use of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Also, Brown hired Roslyn Burrough, a jazz and gospel singer, as a "congressional outreach specialist". The singer was paid $40,000 at taxpayer expense for two 12-week engagements [2] (http://www.staugustine.com/stories/102498/congress_election.shtml). On February 25, 2004 Representative Brown referred to the Bush Administration as a "racist" "bunch of white men" in a meeting with senior State Department officials and members of Congress. Assistant Secretary of State Roger Noriega, a Mexican American, deeply resented "being called a racist and branded a white man." Brown retorted to Noriega and Cuban-American Representative Lincoln Diaz-Balart that "you all look alike to me" and later apologized for calling the men white, but still insists that the President's policy of non-intervention in the 2004 Haiti Rebellion is racist. The next day, Republican Representative Henry Bonilla of Texas called for Brown to resign because of her insensitive comments.
Political Activity
In her current (2003-2005) term, Brown has cosponsored legislation regarding civil rights and foreign relations. She has also participated with Michael Moore's "Slacker" college voter drive tour.
On the first day of early voting for the 2004 General Election, Brown, with several supporters, stood on the steps of the enterance of the Duval County Supervisor of Elections headquarters, an early voting site, and began passing out a "psuedo-ballot," directing people to vote for only Democratic candidates and Florida amendments that should pass. It was not until Noon that Brown and her supporters moved to the mandatory fifty feet away from the entrance. "First Coast News" Report (http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=26039)
Further Reading
- Tallahassee Democrat: Feb. 26, 2004 Coast Guard stops boat carrying 21 Haitians (http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/local/8042317.htm)
- WJXT (Jacksonville): Corrine Brown Calls Administration's Policy On Haiti 'Racist' (http://www.news4jax.com/news/2875881/detail.html)
- Washington Post: Brown Sorry She Called Powell Aide 'White' (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10941-2004Feb26.html)
External links
- Official website (http://www.house.gov/corrinebrown/)
- bioguide.congress.gov article on Corrine Brown (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000911)
- Campaign website (http://www.corrinebrownforcongress.com/)