Whereas, the very foundation of good government in a representative democracy is honest leaders who honor and respect the public trust, and,

Whereas, to be effective and ethical all elected leaders by virtue of their position ought to set a standard of behavior that enhances the public trust, and,

Whereas, the residents of Arlington County, the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church, and those areas of Fairfax County which comprise the 8th Congressional District of Virginia deserve honest and ethical representation from their elected leaders, and,

Whereas, the residents of the 8th Congressional District of Virginia have been deprived of honest and ethical representation in Congress since January of 1991, to wit:

• In 1984, then Alexandria City Vice Mayor Jim Moran breached the public trust and was convicted of conflict of interest charges and forced to resign from the City Council.

• In 1984 Vice Mayor Jim Moran again breached the public trust was forced to return public taxpayer money to the Alexandria City Treasurer when it was publicized that he had taken a private business trip to Europe at Alexandria City taxpayer expense.

• In 1990 Jim Moran again breached the public trust as he violated federal campaign expenditure laws by using a non-federal Political Action Committee to finance his campaign for federal office, and accepted a $10,000 contribution from a developer having immediate business before the Alexandria City Council, before being publicly forced to return said contribution as a conflict of interest.

• In 1995, Jim Moran became involved in a physical altercation and assaulted another Member of Congress on the Floor of the House of Representatives. Moran has been involved in at least two other similar incidents, and at numerous time has threatened to “punch” any of his critics.

• In 1998, Jim Moran again breached the public trust when he accepted from MBNA a sweetheart bailout loan well below market rate for anyone else in his financial situation, a loan designed to save him $288,000. In return, Congressman Moran agreed to co-sponsor bankruptcy reform legislation designed to earn MBNA millions of additional dollars at the expense of ordinary citizens who found themselves in the same financial trouble Jim Moran used his sweetheart loan to escape. Moran stated that he never knew MBNA, the largest credit card issuer in the country, had an interest in the bankruptcy legislation.

• In 1999, police were called to Jim Moran's home where a domestic disturbance was taking place, and where Moran's wife alleged that he had physically assaulted her. Jim Moran blamed his wife for his troubles.

• In 2000, the mother of an 8-year-old African-American boy, backed up by numerous witnesses, accused Jim Moran of physically assaulting her son. Moran responded by saying the young boy tried to carjack him, and told the press he wanted to press charges against the boy.

• In 2000, Jim Moran breached the public trust again by accepting an unethical and probably illegal $25,000 personal loan from a BIG-DRUG company lobbyist in return for co-sponsoring legislation designed to earn that company increased profits by banning competing generic drugs from the market.

• In 2002, Jim Moran again accepted a personal loan of $50,000 from the Chairman of AOL, a company with numerous interests before the Congress. Moran explained that the check for $50,000 just unexpectedly showed up in the mail one day.

Whereas, with Jim Moran's 20-year pattern of unethical and illegal behavior characterized by repeated breaches of the public trust, personal behavioral problems, and repeated conduct on the House floor unbecoming of a Member of Congress, and,

Whereas, Jim Moran's record in public office is one of always representing the special interests of BIG business rather than the interests of the citizens of the 8th Congressional District of Virginia,

Now therefore, be it resolved by the Arlington County Republican Committee (ACRC) does hereby condemn the unethical, illegal and repeated breaching of the public trust by Congressman Moran.

Be it further resolved that the ACRC agrees with the Washington Post when it wrote that “the real fix that is needed here is in the representation of Virginia's 8th District; Mr. Moran does not deserve the job.”

Be it further resolved that the ACRC does call on Congressman Moran to resign his seat in Congress as a consequence of his unacceptable and repeated breaching of the public trust.

Considered and adopted by the Arlington County Republican Committee
at its monthly meeting on July 25, 2002, in Arlington, Virginia

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