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Patrick McHenry


Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 10th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2005
Preceded by	Cass Ballenger

Personal details
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Single

Patrick Timothy McHenry (born October 22, 1975) is a United States Representative from North Carolina, representing the state's 10th Congressional district (see map), and currently the so-called "Baby of the House" in the United States House of Representatives. He previously was a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for a single term.

Early years

McHenry was born and raised in Gastonia, North Carolina and attended Ashbrook High School. A Catholic, McHenry was the youngest of five children. His parents are now deceased.

While a student at North Carolina State University and Belmont Abbey College, McHenry chaired the North Carolina Federation of College Republicans and served as treasurer for the College Republican National Committee. His first run for public office was for the N.C. House of Representatives in 1998, while still a college student; his Democratic opponent was the father of a high school classmate.

After earning a B.A. in history in 1999, McHenry worked for a media consulting firm DCI/New Media, overseeing Rick Lazio's campaign against Hillary Clinton during her 2000 Senate bid. His main project there was running a Web site, NotHillary.com.

In the summer and fall of 2000, McHenry worked on George W. Bush's successful 2000 presidential campaign; he was a volunteer coordinator for Bush's inaugural committee. After six months working as a special assistant to the United States Secretary of Labor in Washington, D.C., McHenry returned to North Carolina and ran again for the state legislature, this time successfully.

Controversy

"Two Bit" Comment

McHenry stirred controversy with his remarks on April 1, 2008 regarding a recent trip to Iraq. During his remarks to 150 Republicans attending the Lincoln County GOP Dinner, he called a contractor -- reported first by liberal blogs as a "U.S. soldier" -- performing security duties in Iraq as "a two-bit security guard" because the contractor denied McHenry access to a gym.

"We spent the night in the Green Zone, in the poolhouse of one of Saddam’s palaces. A little weird, I got to be honest with you. But I felt safe. And so in the morning, I got up early — not that I make this a great habit — but I went to the gym because I just couldn’t sleep and everything else. Well, sure enough, the guard wouldn’t let me in. Said I didn’t have the correct credentials. It’s 5:00 in the morning. I haven’t had sleep. I was not very happy with this two-bit security guard. So you know, I said, “I want to see your supervisor.” Thirty minutes later, the supervisor wasn’t happy with me, they escort me back to my room. It happens. I guess I didn’t need to work out anyway."

This video was eventually posted online by Lance Sigmon, McHenry's opponent, to both YouTube and his campaign website. He later apologized, saying "t was a poor choice of words to describe a foreign contractor.".

OPSEC Violation Video in Iraq's Green Zone possibly resulting in three deaths

Patrick McHenry later posted a video of himself in the Green Zone in Iraq, in an attempt to validate his presence in the region. On April 7, 2008, the Iraq/Afghanistan Veteran blog VetVoice revealed that Patrick McHenry's video of himself in Iraq was potentially endangering American lives, as McHenry's video gave explicit detail to the attacks on the Green Zone , which may be a violation of OPSEC.

Good morning. You see, right over my back here (points), there was a rocket attack this morning. According to our folks here, there were eleven rockets, uh, one hit just over my head, another hit a parking lot, and another hit the gym. Well, interestingly enough, I wasn't able to get into the gym this morning because I didn't have an ID that was appropriate. And so I was escorted back to the room and just a few minutes later, that's when the rocket attacks occurred. So, uh, small wonders. . .what a small blessing. . .a big blessing on Easter Sunday morning. So, thanks so much.

Upon this information being publicized, Patrick McHenry quickly removed the video from his Congressional website and on YouTube which prevented them from being accessed by news articles after being ordered by the Pentagon to remove the video. McHenry responded two days later:

"The Congressman shot the video in the company of State Department and military personnel, and was not briefed on withholding its publication," his spokesman Wes Climer said in a written statement. "We voluntarily removed the video after learning that it might infringe on accepted protocol, and then contacted officials at the Department of Defense, who supported our decision."

A Pentagon spokesman also made a statement on the topic, highlighting the issue with the tape regarding the sensitive nature of the information:

A Pentagon spokesman said he didn't know what McHenry was told, "but we routinely brief our operational rules to our visitors in Iraq and Afghanistan."
"We do not as a matter of policy discuss attacks in a way that would provide the enemy any better understanding of the effectiveness of their attacks," said Lt. Col. Todd Vician.
A spokesman for the Multi-National Forces in Iraq said that he didn't know what the rules were for congressmen, but the military is not allowed to talk about battle damage.

Later April 9, Daily Kos reported that Patrick McHenry's video may have potentially caused three deaths inside of the Green Zone, citing a Huntsville Times article releasing information that the prior Sunday (April 6th), only a day after Patrick McHenry's Iraq video was posted, three soldiers were killed in the very same gym McHenry was barred from, the location of which McHenry made clear in his video. Daily Kos claims McHenry's violation of OPSEC may have aided insurgents in attacking this gym, resulting in the deaths.

Political career

A resident of Cherryville, North Carolina, McHenry represented the state's 109th House district, including constituents in Gaston County, for the 2003-2004 session. While in the legislature, he sat on the House Appropriations Committee.

After one term in the North Carolina General Assembly, McHenry successfully ran for Congress in the 10th Congressional District, which had come open when nine-term incumbent Cass Ballenger retired. McHenry faced a heavily contested primary in the 10th and bested his closest opponent, Catawba County Sheriff David Huffman, in a primary runoff by only 85 votes. In the general election, McHenry earned 64% of the popular vote, defeating Democrat Anne Fischer. However, it was generally thought McHenry's victory in the primary runoff was tantamount to election in November. His district is considered North Carolina's most Republican district, having sent Republicans to represent it since 1963.

In the 2006 election, McHenry defeated Democrat Richard Carsner, gaining almost 62% of the vote on the way to a second term representing the 10th District.

In 2008, McHenry will face at least one primary opponent, Lance Sigmon. The winner will face the Democratic candidate in November 2008.

Political positions

Committee Assignments

Budget Committee
Financial Services Committee
- Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology
- Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- National Security and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee
Deputy Republican Whip
Vice Chairman of Finance for the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Executive Committee

At age 32 as of February 2008, McHenry is the youngest member of the 110th United States Congress; he was also the youngest member of the North Carolina General Assembly during his term in the state House. His voting record is among the most conservative in the United States Congress.

He currently serves on three House Committees: Budget, Financial Services, and Oversight and Government Reform. In the Committee on Financial Services, McHenry is working with Rep. Al Green (D-TX) on legislation requiring mortgage lenders to simplify their mortgage disclosure forms for home buyers.

McHenry occupies two House Republican leadership positions, serving as a Deputy Whip and as Vice Chairman of Finance for the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Executive Committee.

In the 110th Congress, McHenry gained notoriety for his strong opposition to the new Democratic Majority and its leadership by proposing a "minority bill of rights," similar to a blocked 2004 plan by the then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to protect her own party .

In August of 2007, McHenry raised a minor amount of attention when he mocked a $20 per month tax credit proposed in a Democratic energy bill for persons who commute via bicycle:

"A major component of the Democrats' energy legislation and the Democrats' answer to our energy crisis is, hold on, wait one minute, wait one minute, it is promoting the use of the bicycle.
Oh, I cannot make this stuff up. Yes, the American people have heard this. Their answer to our fuel crisis, the crisis at the pumps, is: Ride a bike.
Democrats believe that using taxpayer funds in this bill to the tune of $1 million a year should be devoted to the principle of: "Save energy, ride a bike." Some might argue that depending on bicycles to solve our energy crisis is naive, perhaps ridiculous. Some might even say Congress should use this energy legislation to create new energy, bring new nuclear power plants on line, use clean coal technology, energy exploration, but no, no. They want to tell the American people, stop driving, ride a bike. This is absolutely amazing."

References

External links

U.S. Congressman Patrick McHenry official House site
United States Congress. "Patrick McHenry (id: m001156)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Federal Election Commission — Patrick Timothy McHenry campaign finance reports and data
On the Issues — Patrick McHenry issue positions and quotes
OpenSecrets.org — Patrick McHenry campaign contributions
Project Vote Smart — Representative Patrick T. McHenry (NC) profile
SourceWatch Congresspedia — Patrick McHenry profile
Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Patrick McHenry voting record
OurCampaigns.com
Patrick McHenry for Congress official campaign site

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