Bob McCarty Writes

Though some in Show-Me State Republican circles are probably beginning to think I’m a Democrat, nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, I simply try to hold elected officials of EVERY stripe accountable to their bosses, the voters.  Lately, I’ve focused much of my attention on freshman Republican Congressman Billy Long of the 7th Congressional District in southwest Missouri.

U.S. Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.)

Today, I can report Congressman Long appears to have been bluffing voters on the campaign trailwhen he said he would have to sell his one-third interest in the largest real estate company in his hometown, Springfield, Mo.

Before I explain this serious allegation, a recap of previous posts seems in order.

In three Long-focused entries to date, I’ve shared my disgust with the poker-playing congressman — via spokesperson Bret Funk — who refused to answer questions about claims he had made on the campaign trail in November 2009.

In a post March 31, I recalled Congressman Long’s own words, spoken on  Nov. 9, 2009, during a short interview (see video below) with Josh Marsh, Morning News Watch host on KZRG radio in Joplin, Mo.

Just after the one-minute mark of the interview, the professional auctioneer-turned politician spoke about the hardships and sacrifices he was willing to make if voters in southwest Missouri elected him to Congress:

“You have to sell your business.  If you have a fiduciary business, you have to sell that, so I’ve gotta walk away from a business I built up for 30 years.  Who’s gonna buy it without me there?  Answer:  Nobody.  Whoever I sell it to has to take my name off of it.  Now, what’s it worth?  Absolutely nothing.

“I own a third interest in the largest real estate company in Springfield; I have to sell that.  Do you want to buy a real estate company today?  You know, they’re not worth anything, and I have to give up my real estate broker’s license.”

Five months after Long won election to the U.S. House of Representatives, I asked the congressman three questions (below) in an attempt to find out whether the words he used on the campaign trail were serious or just a World Poker Tour-style bluff for votes:

1.  Please name and briefly describe the “fiduciary businesses” in which you hold a sole or part ownership interest.

2.  Have you put any of your fiduciary businesses up for sale?  If yes, which ones?  If not, why not?

3.  Have any of your fiduciary businesses been sold?  If so, which ones?  If not, why not?

As reported here and on Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, Congressman Long refused to answer the questions, saying only that, “Apologies Bob, we are initially focusing on our district press for media requests.  Please keep us in mind in the future.” Less than three weeks later, I learned exactly how Long treated his “district press” and didn’t feel so bad.  The video below captures the story in blow-by-blow fashion.

Almost two months later, I published a post about what happened (i.e., nothing) when I asked the same set of questions a second time.  That post, however, ended this way:

Thankfully, I won’t have to wait long for answers, since federal lawmakers’ annual personal financial disclosure reports become public in mid-June.  Stay tuned!

After those personal financial disclosure reports were made public this week, I found copies of two reports submitted by Congressman Long at Legistorm.com, a site self-described in its banner as “Transparency’s sidekick.”

A pre-election report, covering the period from Jan. 1 to April 30, 2010, lists five sources of earned income for Long.  From one of those, Murney Associates L.L.C. (which, by the way, is spelled differently on the form than it is on the company’s website), he reported first-quarter 2010 earned income of $5,700 and preceding-year (2009) earned income of $80,527. That report, however, does not list Murney as a long-owned enterprise.

Another report, covering all of 2010, lists Murney as a source for only $14,953 of earned income.  Like the other report, it does not list Murney as being owned, in full or in part, by Long.

Another thing the second report shows is handwritten explanations of how Long terminated one of his business enterprises and resigned from positions at three others.  It does not, however, explain what happened to the “…third interest in the largest real estate company in Springfield” about which he told Josh Marsh, “I have to sell that.”

Springfield locals tell me that Murney Associates is the biggest real estate firm in town.  According to Active Network, they’re correct; the company ranks as the 40th largest independent real estate company in the United States.  Unless Congressman Long has a larger firm which he operates “below the radar,” one must assume the first-term congressman has twice failed to report all of his assets on his disclosure forms.  After all, there’s no mention of Murney except as a source of earned income.

If I’m missing something, I would appreciate having Congressman Long straighten me out.  Normally, a phone call to a congressman’s office produces answers.  Based on my experiences with Long’s office, however, I have no confidence that such an effort would produce results.

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