PAUL W. HODES
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FINANCIAL SERVICES
CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WASHINGTON, DC 2051 5-2902
OVERSIGHT AND
GOVERNI\¡ENT FEFORM
October 22,2009 The Honorable Edolphus Towns Chairman House Oversight and Govemment Reform Committee 2157 Raybum House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Darrell Issa Ranking Member House Oversight and Government Reform Committee 83504 Raybum House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Chairman Towns and Ranking Member Issa, As members of the Oversight and Govemment Reform Committee, we are committed to investigating and addressing cases of waste, fraud, and abuse within the federal government and in all areas of national concern. With this responsibility in mind, we write to you today to request that the Committee initiate an investigation into Countrywide Financial's "Friends of Angelo" program, and if it was used to gain influence over federal officials. We believe that to properly conduct this investigation, the Committee needs to gain access to all documents related to the program that Countrywide used to provide preferred status to certain customers. These documents should include:
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All documents related to the participation in Countrywide Financial's "Friends of
Angelo" program by any federal government officials, including information on loans taken by federal employees as a part of the program
Any coffespondence with federal employees involved with the program, informing them of their membership or explaining the benefits of the program. Any and all records of internal correspondence among Countrywide employees relating to the eligibility or potential for inclusion of any federal employee in the "Friends of Angelo" Program.
Information relating to Members of Congress should be referred to the appropriate investigative bodies, as investigating Members of Congress is not within our Committee's jurisdiction. However, Members of Congress must ultimately be subject to the same level scrutiny as all other govemment officials.
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We hope that this initial inquiry can lead to a broader investigation by the Committee on whether or not any other mortgage lenders carried out similar programs with the goal of influencing publi officials. 1B Nonrs nl¡¡ Sr. 221 M¡l¡¡ Srn¡er
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The American people deserve to know the truth about these lending practices, and if they had undue influence on federal housing or financial policy based on awarding "VIP" loans to federal officials. We look forward to working with you to undertake a thorough investigation of this program and provide transparency and answers for our constituents, Thank you for your consideration of this request. Sincerely,
Mike Qui
Member of Congress