About
Darrell Issa (R-Ca.) has represented California’s 48th, 49th and most recently, 50th Congressional districts in the U.S House of Representatives since 2001. He is a member of both the far-right House Freedom Caucus and the Republican Study Committee, and won his 11th term in 2022—with Trump’s endorsement—in the solidly Republican 48th district.
From 1982 to 2000, Issa founded and ran Directed Electronics, which became the country’s leading manufacturer of auto anti-theft and security devices. When he ran the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in the early 2010s, he sent letters to corporate groups asking which regulations they wanted lifted.
In 2016, Issa was the wealthiest member of the House and quickly went all-in for Trump, writing an op-ed for The Hill titled “Memo to Bushes, Other GOP Holdouts: Get on the Trump Train.” In 2020, he ran a campaign ad that targeted his opponent’s sexual orientation. After the presidential election, he showed his loyalty to Trump by voting against certifying Biden’s Electoral College win, impeaching Trump for inciting the violence at the Capitol, and establishing a special House committee to investigate the insurrection, among other measures.
January 6, 2021
- Just hours after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, Issa joined 146 other congressional Republicans in refusing to certify Biden’s win of the 2020 presidential election.
- Issa opposed impeaching Trump for his role in instigating the attack on Congress and the Capitol, and for fanning the flames once the riot broke out. “It is deeply disappointing that Speaker Pelosi and majority Democrats are refusing to join with Republicans in uniting the Congress and helping to bring the country together,” the longtime congressman wrote in a prepared statement. “Rather than a time for conflict, this is an ideal opportunity to turn down the rhetoric in Washington and strengthen the ties that bind us. What we should be doing right now is uniting as Americans and doing our part in the peaceful transition of power.”
- Issa voted against establishing a House committee to investigate the attack on the Capitol and the congressional proceedings that were underway inside.
- A year after the insurrection, Issa downplayed its significance and instead used the anniversary as an opportunity to amp up the rhetoric and further the division he claims to disavow. “That was a difficult day to be in the Capitol,” he admits, but then adds: “But the weeks and months that followed have been devastating for the nation. Today is an ideal occasion to reflect on that fact.”
The Big Lie
- Issa had repeatedly parrotted Trump’s lies about the 2020 election and is considered part of the “sedition” or “treason caucus.”
- On Jan. 8, 2020, he tweeted: “It is in America’s enduring national interest that we do not ignore what we know to be wrong with the 2020 elections.”
- Issa continues to defend Trump at all costs, spreading more disinformation after the FBI retrieved thousands of government documents from Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago. For instance, on Aug. 8, 2022, he cited no evidence whatsoever when tweeting: “We know officials of the DOJ have broken the rules before to target Donald Trump.”