Darrell Issa

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Darrell Issa

Darrell E. Issa (* 1. November 1953 in Cleveland , Ohio ) is an American politician of the Republican Party . The former entrepreneur was a member of the United States House of Representatives for parts of southern California from 2001 to 2019 . He is considering running for the 2020 election .

Family, education and work

Issa is the second of six children. His mother was Mormon and his father, an X-ray technician, was an Orthodox Christian whose parents were from Lebanon . He grew up in the predominantly Jewish district of Cleveland Heights . He left high school and served in the United States Army from 1970 , most recently as a captain , and then attended college. In 1976 Issa graduated with an associate degree in general studies from Kent State University and a bachelor's degree in economics from Siena Heights University .

Before his political activities he owned a manufacturer of car alarm systems; he had invested his total assets of 7,000 US dollars in the company in the 1980s and rose to the position of Chief Executive Officer . Before entering politics, he sold the company. With $ 464 million in personal wealth, Issa was the richest MP in the United States in 2014. Issa supported the collection of signatures for the successful 2003 referendum to vote out the then governor of the state of California Gray Davis with donations amounting to millions.

Issa has a son with his wife, Kathy. You live in Vista , California.

Political career

Issas first ran for a political seat in 1998 when he ran in the Republican primary for nomination for one of California's two seats in the United States Senate . He invested ten million of his private wealth, but was defeated by the then State Treasurer Michael Fong with 40 to 45 percent of the vote.

Issa was elected to the United States House of Representatives in the 2000 election. He represented there until 2013 the 48th congressional electoral district , which then covered large parts of San Diego County . After the redesign of the constituencies as a result of the United States Census 2010 , he moved to the new 49th Congressional electoral district , which geographically largely corresponded to its old one and also included parts of Orange County , but no part of Riverside County . The new constituency was less dominated by Republicans. After the Republicans won a majority in the House of Representatives in the 2010 election , Issa chaired the Committee on Oversight and Reform , which oversees government activities, from 2011 to 2015 . He acted aggressively against the Obama administration , including against Attorney General Eric Holder and the government 's actions in the 2012 Benghazi attack , when he accused Barack Obama of downplaying the threat to the embassy staff attacked by Islamists .

As a result, Issa became more controversial in his electoral district, which was increasingly leaning towards the Democrats; While the Democrat Hillary Clinton was seven percentage points ahead of Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election , Issa won the 2016 House election by just 1,621 votes ahead of the Democrat Douglas Applegate. On January 10, 2018, Issa announced that it would not run for the next election, the mid-term election in Donald Trump's controversial presidency . Ed Royce , also a Republican Congressman from California, had announced the same two days earlier . His mandate ended at the end of the 115th Congress on January 3, 2019, and was succeeded by Democrat Mike Levin .

Issa was nominated by President Donald Trump in 2018 to head the United States Trade and Development Agency . In the Senate, which has to approve the change, the nomination remained in the committees until summer 2019. In September 2019, Issa announced that he would be running for California's 50th Congressional constituency, which is adjacent to Issa's previous one; the previous mandate holder Duncan D. Hunter is on trial for corruption allegations.

Attempted assassination

In 2001 a bomb attack on Issa was planned by the leader of the Jewish Defense League, Irving Rubin. Rubin was convicted of attempted murder along with his henchman Earl Krugel. According to the court, the motive was the hatred of Issa as an Arab. Issa said political commentator Debbie Schlüssel contributed to the climate of hatred against him because she believed he had sympathy with Hezbollah .

Web links

Commons : Darrell Issa  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ryan Lizza: Don't Look Back. In: The New Yorker , January 24, 2011
  2. ^ A b Elena Schneider, John Bresnahan: California Republican Darrell Issa to retire. In: Politico , January 10, 2018.
  3. ↑ a b Darrell Issa's Biography. In: Vote Smart.
  4. ↑ The Washington Millionaires Club. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , December 31, 2011.
  5. ^ Matthias Kolb: Meeting of millionaires in the congress. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , January 10, 2014.
  6. ↑ Republicans vs. Hillary Clinton: Obsessed with Benghazi Gate. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , May 10, 2013.
  7. ↑ Elena Schneider, John Bresnahan: California Republican Darrell Issa to retire. In: Politico , January 10, 2018
  8. ↑ a b Olivia Beavers: Darrell Issa eyes return to Congress. In: The Hill , June 21, 2019.
  9. ^ Rep. Darrell Issa, who was GOP's attack dog against top Democrats, will retire. In: The Washington Post , January 10, 2018.
  10. ↑ Jeremy B. White: Issa weighs return to the House - through Duncan Hunter. In: Politico , August 29, 2019.
  11. ^ Chair of the Jewish Defense League Arrested in Failed Bomb Plot ( Memento of December 13, 2001 in the Internet Archive ). In: Tolerance.org , Southern Poverty Law Center , December 12, 2001
  12. ↑ Transcript: Issa on Bomb Plot. In: The Washington Post , September 21, 2000
  13. ↑ Joe Cantlupe: Rep. Issa's fight with columnist has dark side - Writer may have stirred radical group's bomb plot. In: San Diego Union Tribune , December 24, 2001.
personal data
SURNAME Issa, Darrell
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Issa, Darrell E.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American (Republican Party) politician, entrepreneur
DATE OF BIRTH November 1, 1953
PLACE OF BIRTH Cleveland , Ohio