Adam Putnam
| Adam Putnam | |
 |
|
|
|
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2001 |
|
| Preceded by | Charles Canady |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
|
|
|
| Born | July 31 1974 Bartow, Florida |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Melissa Putnam |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Adam H. Putnam (born July 31 1974), American conservative politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 2001, representing Florida's 12th congressional district. He was born in Bartow, Florida and was educated at Bartow High School and the University of Florida (BS, Food and Resource Economics).
Controversy
Putnam dad accused Nancy Pelosi of arrogance in requesting an Air Force Three for flights back to her district.[1]
"Just a month into the new Democratic majority, we are talking about the costs of an arrogance of office," said Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam of Florida at a briefing for reporters Tuesday. "The same week she is talking about fiscal responsibility, she is requesting a jumbo jet to taxi her back and forth from her district, something that is a major deviation from the previous speaker. Certainly, it is the interest of someone who is in the presidential succession to have access to a secure aircraft, but this is not a routine military charter flight. This is Air Force Three."
However, the House of Representatives' Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Livingood had requested the plane for House Speaker Pelosi's security.[2]
"I regret that an issue that is exclusively considered and decided in a security context has evolved into a political issue," Bill Livingood said in a news release.
The White House issued a press release supporting the House Sergeant at Arms and Speaker Pelosi.[3]
"This is a silly story and I think it's been unfair to the speaker," White House spokesman Tony Snow said at a morning briefing with reporters. "We think it's important that the speaker of the House enjoy the same kind of security that we arranged for Speaker Hastert in the wake of September 11th. And like I said, I think that there's been a lot of over-hyped reporting on this," Snow said.
The Tampa Tribune described him as "unapologetic" about making comments on what turned out to be a false story about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi [4]
Putnam now acknowledges he had no personal knowledge of any Pelosi request. He said he was commenting on an anonymously sourced story in The Washington Times and additional coverage from CNN. "This was a classic case where the media got out in front of us," Putnam said. "Did we jump on it? Yes." And he is unapologetic about that. He calls the Pelosi plane story, whatever its legitimacy, "the first break [Republicans] have had from the media in driving our message since before the Mark Foley story broke."
Putnam also garnered attention when he stated “white rednecks” who “didn’t show up to vote for us” cost Republicans their
Congressional majority in the 2006 elections. The report noted that...
"Three Republicans in the room independently confirmed to the Hotline the substance and context of Putnam’s remarks. But Putnam’s chief of staff insists that the remarks were taken out of context...Putnam’s chief of staff, John Hambel, said his boss has used the word “redneck” only in the context of sharing polling data from last week’s elections. Hambel said Putnam was listing off different constituencies and ended with saying: “Heck, we even had rednecks who go to church who didn't come out to vote.[1]
Gonzales' ouster
After the numerous calls by Democrats, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), Putnam became the top Republican in either House to call for the ouster of Gonzales. "For the good of the nation, I think it is time for fresh leadership at the Department of Justice," Putnam said adding that Gonzales' flip-flopping explanation has been hurtful to the deteriorating relationships between Congress and the Department of Justice.[citation needed]
This move was met by surprise by many Republicans, who were remaining silent on the Gonzales issue. However, Putnam mentioned that there remained severe discontent within the GOP circle over Gonzales and as the Chairman of the House Republican Conference, he thought it was important to send this message out.
External links
- U.S. Congressman Adam Putnam official House site
- Adam Putnam at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Federal Election Commission — Adam H Putnam campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues — Adam Putnam issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Adam H. Putnam campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart — Representative Adam H. Putnam (FL) profile
- Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Adam Putnam voting record
- Adam Putnam for US Congress official campaign site
- Opie's All Grown Up Now USNews.com, December 3, 2006
References
Citations
- ^ ABCnews.com Feb. 8, 2007 Pelosi Seeks Upgrade for Government-Provided Plane by JAKE TAPPER
- ^ MS-NBC 6:50 p.m. ET Feb 8, 2007 House sergeant-at-arms ordered Pelosi plane
- ^ FOXnews Thursday, February 08, 2007 White House Defends Pelosi Over Plane Request
- ^ TBO.com The Tampa Tribune Feb 20, 2007 Putnam Emerges As GOP's Top Aggressor by BILLY TOWNSEND
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles T. Canady |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 12th congressional district 2001–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Deborah Pryce Ohio |
Chairman of House Republican Conference 2007–Present |
Succeeded by Present |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
