Issa’s Brand Crossed Corporate, Political Lines
GOP: The ones who aren’t flaming wingnuts are just corrupt and venal. Should that make us happy about Darrell, or should we be out in the left field bleachers chanting “Daaarrelll… Daaarrelll” in mocking voices?
In mid-February, videos posted by the California Republican’s staff on the YouTube page of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee contained a production credit for “DEI Productions” instead of the “Oversight Productions” moniker his office had used on other committee videos.
It may be a simple case of cross-posting videos, but the personal branding extends deeply into Issa’s personal history and wealth.
DEI stands for Darrell Edward Issa, but the DEI brand is also closely tied to Issa’s corporate affairs, close enough to raise the eyebrows of Congressional ethics watchdogs.
Issa maintains dei.com, which has served as a portal to two of his family companies and his Congressional campaign website. The site had a disclaimer at the bottom saying it was paid for by Issa’s campaign, but after Roll Call inquired about the site Tuesday, that language was removed and the link to the campaign site appeared to have been removed.
The header on the site reads “ISSA – US Congressman,” but it was originally the corporate address for the car alarm company Issa ran before he came to Congress, Directed Electronics Inc.
