Darrell Issa

The second of six children, Issa was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Martha (née Bielfelt) and William Issa, who sold trucks and ground valves.{{cite news|author=Leduff, Charlie|date=July 23, 2003|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/23/us/california-recall-backer-feels-heat.html|title=California Recall Backer Feels Heat|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 30, 2013}}{{cite web|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/158119841.html?dids=158119841%3A158119841&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&type=current&date=Sep+01%2C+2002&author=FAYE+FIORE&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=The+Rock%2C+the+Hard+Place+and+the+Man+in+the+Middle%3B+As+%27an+Arab+American+Who+Grew+Up+Delivering+Poultry+for+a+Rabbi%2C%27+San+Diego-+Area+Congressman+Darrell+Issa+Is+Facing+a+Telling+Post-Sept.+11+Political+Dilemma%3A+%27So+Who+Am+I%3F%27&pqatl=google|title=Los Angeles Times: The Rock, the Hard Place and the Man in the Middle|publisher=Pqasb.pqarchiver.com|date=September 1, 2002|access-date=September 30, 2013|url-access=subscription|archive-date=March 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325070718/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/158119841.html?dids=158119841%3A158119841&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&type=current&date=Sep%2001%2C%202002&author=FAYE%20FIORE&pub=Los%20Angeles%20Times&desc=The%20Rock%2C%20the%20Hard%20Place%20and%20the%20Man%20in%20the%20Middle%3B%20As%20%27an%20Arab%20American%20Who%20Grew%20Up%20Delivering%20Poultry%20for%20a%20Rabbi%2C%27%20San%20Diego-%20Area%20Congressman%20Darrell%20Issa%20Is%20Facing%20a%20Telling%20Post-Sept.%2011%20Political%20Dilemma%3A%20%27So%20Who%20Am%20I%3F%27&pqatl=google|url-status=dead}} His father was the son of Lebanese Christian immigrants, and a member of the Maronite Catholic faith. His mother is of German and Bohemian (Czech) descent and a Latter-day Saint.{{cite news |title=Transcript: Issa on Bomb Plot|issue=On Politics |newspaper=The Washington Post|date=December 12, 2001|author=eMediaMillWorks|access-date=September 7, 2013 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/transcripts/issa_text121201.html|quote=Following is the full transcript of a press conference held by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) on the reported plot to bomb his California offices. Rep. Issa is the grandson of Lebanese immigrants. Other speakers: Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman (R-N.Y.), Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), Rep. Gary L. Ackerman (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.).}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/20011026/aponline175845_000.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203013459/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/20011026/aponline175845_000.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 3, 2014|title=Rep. Issa: I Was Profiling Victim|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=October 26, 2001|access-date=September 30, 2013}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/01/24/dont-look-back-ryan-lizza|title=Don't Look Back|magazine=The New Yorker|access-date=November 7, 2018|language=en-US}}

During his childhood, the large family moved to a three-bedroom house in the predominantly Jewish suburb of Cleveland Heights. Many of Issa's friends were Jewish, and he reportedly worked for a rabbi at one point. He became very familiar with Jewish culture.{{cite news|last=Lizza|first=Ryan|author-link=Ryan Lizza |title=Don't Look Back|url=https://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/01/24/110124fa_fact_lizza?currentPage=all|newspaper=The New Yorker |date=January 24, 2011|access-date=January 20, 2011}}

In 1970, on his 17th birthday, Issa dropped out of high school and enlisted in the Army.Broder, David S. (December 21, 1997). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/keyraces98/stories/ca122197.htm "California's Battle of the Bankbooks"], The Washington Post; accessed November 11, 2016. He became an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician assigned to the 145th Ordnance Detachment.{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2003-08-01-0308010436-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627055238/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2003-08-01/news/0308010436_1_darrell-issa-fort-ord-military-records |url-status=live |archive-date=June 27, 2013 |title=Darrell Issa Biography – Burnishing his biography – Baltimore Sun|work=Baltimore Sun|date=August 2003 }} Trained to defuse bombs, Issa has said that his unit provided security for President Richard Nixon, sweeping stadiums for bombs before games in the 1971 World Series.Williams, Lance. (May 29, 1998). [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1998/05/29/NEWS12714.dtl&type=printable Issa's Army record in doubt: Candidate's account can't be verified]. San Francisco Chronicle. A May 1998 investigation by Lance Williams of the San Francisco Examiner found that Nixon had not attended any 1971 World Series games, but that Issa's unit did perform security sweeps during the series. First Lady Pat Nixon was present at Game 2 of the series, where she threw the first pitch.{{cite news |title=1971 World Series |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1971ws.shtml |date=October 11, 1971}} After the series, Issa was transferred to a supply depot, a result of receiving poor ratings.

Issa received a hardship discharge from the Army in 1972 after his father suffered a heart attack. After that, he earned a General Educational Development (GED) certificate.

Twice that year, Issa was arrested. In the first incident, a grand jury indicted him for theft of a Maserati, in a complicated scheme with his brother William, but prosecutors dropped the charge.{{cite web|last=Williams|first=Lance|publisher=San Francisco Examiner|date=July 2, 2003|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/07/02/MN153221.DTL&ao=all|title=Darrell Issa held twice on illegal weapons charges and convicted in '70s on misdemeanor count}} In the second incident, he was stopped for driving the wrong way on a one-way street, and a police officer noticed a firearm in his car's glove compartment; Issa was charged with carrying a concealed weapon. He pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm and was sentenced to six months' probation and a small fine. Issa has said he believes the record has since been expunged.

Issa majored in business administration at Siena Heights University, a small Roman Catholic college in Adrian, Michigan, completing his degree at the Stark campus of Kent State University.{{cite web |title=Ballotpedia |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Darrell_Issa |website=Darrell Issa |publisher=Ballotpedia |access-date=24 October 2020}}{{cite web |title=Darrell Issa |url=https://www.arabamerica.com/arabamericans/darrell-issa-4/ |website=Arab-America |access-date=24 October 2020}} While at Kent State, he enrolled in the Reserve Officer Training Corps; at graduation he was commissioned as a second lieutenant.

Issa served in the Army Reserve from 1976 to 1980, and was promoted to captain.{{cite web |url=http://www.ausa.org/legislation/congressionalinfo/Documents/OAS%20112th%20Congress.pdf|title=Once a Soldier... Always a Soldier |author=Staff|year=2011|work=Legislative Agenda|publisher=Association of the United States Army|access-date=January 26, 2013 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021200011/http://www.ausa.org/legislation/congressionalinfo/Documents/OAS%20112th%20Congress.pdf|archive-date=October 21, 2013}} From September 9 to 26, 1980, Issa served on active duty while training with the 1/77th Armor Battalion as an Assistant S-1. His evaluation report, by then-Lt. Col. Wesley Clark, read, "This officer's performance far exceeded that of any other reserve officer who has worked in the battalion" and "Promote ahead of contemporaries. Unlimited potential."{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1998/05/29/NEWS12714.dtl|title=Issa's Army record in doubt |publisher=SFGate |date=May 29, 1998|access-date=July 15, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://talkingpointsmemo.com/documents/2010/06/gen-wes-clark-praises-darrell-issas-military-service.php?page=1|title=Gen. Wes Clark Praises Darrell Issa's Military Service |publisher=Talkingpointsmemo.com|access-date=July 15, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204210039/http://talkingpointsmemo.com/documents/2010/06/gen-wes-clark-praises-darrell-issas-military-service.php?page=1|archive-date=December 4, 2012}}

Shortly before his discharge from the Army in 1980, Issa was again indicted for grand theft auto. The prosecution dropped the case in August 1980. In 1981, Issa was in a car crash. The other motorist sued him for $20,000; they eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

After leaving the military, Issa and his second wife, Kathy Stanton, returned to the Cleveland area. According to Issa, he and his wife pooled their savings, sold their cars (a 1976 Mercedes and a 1967 VW Beetle) and a BMW motorcycle, and borrowed $50,000 from family members to invest in Quantum Enterprises, an electronics manufacturer run by a friend from Cleveland Heights. It assembled bug zappers, CB radio parts, and other consumer products for other companies. One of those clients, car alarm manufacturer Steal Stopper, became the path to Issa's fortune. It was struggling badly, and he took control of it by foreclosing a $60,000 loan he had made to it when its founder, Joey Adkins, missed a payment. Adkins remained as an employee.

Issa soon turned Steal Stopper around, to the point that it was supplying Ford with thousands of car alarms and negotiating a similar deal with Toyota. Early in the morning of September 7, 1982, Quantum and Steal Stopper's offices and factory in the Cleveland suburb of Maple Heights caught fire. The fire took three hours to put out. The buildings and almost all the inventory within were destroyed. An investigation of the fire noted "suspicious burn patterns" with fires starting in two places aided by an accelerant such as gasoline.

Adkins said Issa had appeared to prepare for a fire by increasing the fire insurance policy by 462% three weeks earlier, and by removing computer equipment containing accounting and customer information. St. Paul Insurance, suspicious of arson and insurance fraud, initially paid only $25,000, according to Issa.{{cite news |last1=Seabrook |first1=Andrea|title=House Investigator Issa Has Faced Allegations As Well|url=https://www.npr.org/2012/04/16/150739985/house-investigator-issa-has-faced-allegations-as-well|access-date=September 12, 2016|work=All Things Considered|publisher=NPR|date=April 16, 2012}}

{{main|Directed Electronics}}

Steal Stopper soon returned a profit again. As car theft rose in the U.S. during the 1980s, so did the demand for security devices. Rolls-Royce, BMW, and General Motors joined Ford and Toyota as customers of Steal Stopper. In 1985, Issa sold the company to a California-based maker of home alarms, and moved to the San Diego suburb of Vista, to work for the company.

Shortly afterward, Issa left to start Directed Electronics, Inc. (DEI). He has continued to live in Vista. Issa used his knowledge of the weaknesses in automotive security to develop effective theft deterrents. Using sensors that, when armed, would detect motion and pressure on the car's body, his device made loud noise to draw attention to a would-be car thief, such as the car's horn honking or a speaker playing a recording with Issa's voice saying: "Protected by Viper. Stand back" and "Please step away from the car", warnings for DEI's signature product, the Viper car alarm.{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E03EEDC143FF930A15754C0A9659C8B63|work=The New York Times|title=California Recall Backer Feels Heat|first=Charlie|last=Leduff|date=July 23, 2003|access-date=May 1, 2010}} Sales grew from $1 million in the company's first year to $14 million by 1989.

Issa is partner in 17 limited partnerships and limited liability companies (LLCs) that own commercial properties across North San Diego County.{{cite web |title='Down-to-earth' Issa has lived 20 years in Vista |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/watchdog/sdut-down-earth-issa-has-lived-20-years-vista-2012may25-story.html |website=Watchdog |date=May 25, 2012 |publisher=The San Diego Union-Tribune |access-date=24 October 2020}} He is CEO of Greene Properties, Inc., a privately held real estate investment company with commercial real estate holdings in San Diego North County. Headquartered in Vista, it manages three commercial office buildings in Carlsbad with a total of 26,354 square feet. Employees include his wife and son William "Will" Issa as assistant property manager.{{cite web |title=Greene Properties |url=http://www.greene-properties.com/default.aspx?page=4 |website=Greene Properties |access-date=24 October 2020 |archive-date=October 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025165556/http://greene-properties.com/default.aspx?page=4 |url-status=dead }} The office is in the same building as Issa's former congressional office, near their house of the last 20 years.

Active in consumer-electronics trade organizations, Issa became more directly involved in politics. He went to Washington, D.C., to lobby Congress and later became one of California's biggest individual campaign contributors to Republican candidates. In 1996, he chaired the successful campaign to pass California Proposition 209, a ballot initiative that prohibited Californian public institutions from considering race, sex, or ethnicity in public employment, public contracting, or public education. He was instrumental in persuading the national Republican Party to hold its 1996 convention in San Diego.

{{See also|1998 United States Senate election in California}}

Issa's first campaign for elected office was in 1998, when he sought the Republican nomination for United States Senate to face incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer. He spent $10 million of his own money in the primary, running against California State Treasurer Matt Fong, Congressman Frank Riggs, and three others. Fong's campaign raised $3 million from contributions and complained that Issa's wealth made for an uneven playing field (Issa received only $400,000 in contributions from others). An Issa spokesman countered that the money was needed to compensate for Fong's statewide name recognition.Wildermuth, John (May 20, 1998). [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1998/05/20/MN25428.DTL "Issa Raising More Money by Using His Own/Millionaire's funds create coffer bigger than Matt Fong's"]. San Francisco Chronicle. Issa lost to Fong, 45% to 40%; Riggs got 10% of the vote. A San Francisco exit poll suggested large numbers of Asian Americans, who typically vote in the Democratic primary, had crossed party lines to strategically vote for Fong.Williams, Lance; Coile, Zachary (June 3, 1998). [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/examiner/archive/1998/06/03/NEWS135.dtl "Asian Demos help set up showdown with Barbara Boxer"], SF Chronicle; accessed November 11, 2016.

File:Dick Cheney and Darrell Issa.jpg Dick Cheney in 2001]]

File:President George W Bush delivers remarks before signing the FISA Amendments Act of 2008.jpg George W. Bush deliver remarks before signing the FISA Amendments Act of 2008]]

{{See also|United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2000#District 48}}

Nine-term incumbent Republican U.S. Congressman Ron Packard decided not to run for reelection in 2000, in California's 48th congressional district. Issa ran for the seat, capitalizing on his name recognition from the 1998 Senate race. The district was primarily based in northern San Diego County, but had small portions in Riverside and Orange counties. Issa finished first in the all-party primary with 35% of the vote, winning a plurality in all three counties; Republican state senator Bill Morrow was second, with 24% of the votes.{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=456734|title=CA District 48-All-Party Primary Race|date=March 7, 2000|publisher=Our Campaigns|access-date=September 30, 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2000_primary/us_rep.pdf|title=2000 California congressional primary results|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612144846/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2000_primary/us_rep.pdf|archive-date=June 12, 2007|publisher=sos.ca.gov}} Issa won the November general election, defeating Democratic nominee Peter Kouvelis 61%–28%.{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=319|title=CA District 48 Race|date=November 7, 2000 |publisher=Our Campaigns|access-date=September 30, 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2000-general/us-rep.pdf|title=House Results|publisher=sos.ca.gov|access-date=September 30, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018054213/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2000-general/us-rep.pdf|archive-date=October 18, 2012}}

{{See also|United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2002#District 49}}

After redistricting, Issa's district was renumbered the 49th and lost its share of Orange County. Like its predecessor, the district was still overwhelmingly Republican; it had a Cook Partisan Voting Index (PVI) of R+10. No Democrat filed against Issa that year. He was reelected, defeating Libertarian nominee Karl Dietrich, 77%–22%.{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=1140 |title=CA District 49 Race|date=November 5, 2002 |publisher=Our Campaigns|access-date=September 30, 2013}}

{{See also|United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2004#District 49}}

A write-in candidate from the 2002 election, Mike Byron, became the Democratic challenger in 2004.Burge, Michael (September 29, 2004). [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/federal/20040929-9999-1mi29cong49.html "Democrat is looking for a big upset over incumbent Issa in 49th District"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051201070351/http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/federal/20040929-9999-1mi29cong49.html |date=December 1, 2005 }}, SignOnSanDiego.com; accessed May 11, 2017. Issa was reelected to a third term, defeating Byron 63%–35%.{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=4053|title=CA – District 49 Race |date=November 2, 2004|publisher=Our Campaigns|access-date=September 30, 2013}}

{{See also|United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2006#District 49}}

Issa was reelected to a fourth term, defeating Democratic nominee Jeeni Criscenzo, 63%–33%.{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=201510|title=CA – District 49 Race|date=November 7, 2006|publisher=Our Campaigns|access-date=September 30, 2013}} He was one of four Middle Eastern American members in that Congress.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dBOF8Q685mAC&q=Charles+Boustany+lebanon&pg=PA775|title=Congressional Record, V. 152, Pt. 14, September 2006|date=October 28, 2010 |publisher=Government Printing Office|isbn=9780160867804|access-date=November 12, 2016|via=Google Books}} He has said that he identified primarily as Lebanese, not as pan-Arab.

{{See also|United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2008#District 49}}

Issa was reelected to a fifth term, defeating Democratic nominee Robert Hamilton, 58%–37%. The 21-point margin of victory was the second smallest in Issa's career. He carried San Diego with 60% of the vote and Riverside with 57% of the vote.{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=334952|title=CA District 49 Race|date=November 4, 2008|publisher=Our Campaigns |access-date=September 30, 2013}}

{{See also|United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2010#District 49}}

Issa was reelected to a sixth term, defeating Democratic nominee Howard Katz, 63%–31%.{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=488395|publisher=Our Campaigns|title=CA – District 49 Race|date=November 2, 2010 |access-date=September 30, 2013}}

{{See also|United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2012#District 49}}

After the 2010 census, Issa's district was renumbered the 49th and made significantly more compact. It lost its share of Riverside County, along with most of its share of San Diego County. It gained a small portion of southern Orange County, including San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, and part of Laguna Niguel. The district was more competitive on paper than its predecessor. The old 49th had a PVI of R+10, while the new 49th has a PVI of R+4.

Issa was reelected to a seventh term, defeating Democratic nominee Jerry Tetalman, 58%–42%. The 16-point margin of victory was the smallest in Issa's political career. Issa carried the San Diego portion of his district with 55% of the vote and the Orange County part with 66%.{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=768471 |access-date=September 30, 2013|publisher=Our Campaigns|title=CA-District 49 Race|date=November 6, 2012}}{{cite web |title=U.S. Congress District 49-Districtwide Results|url=http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/us-congress/district/49|publisher=State of California|date=November 6, 2012|access-date=January 10, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610020341/http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/us-congress/district/49/|archive-date=June 10, 2012}}

{{See also|United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2014#District 49}}

The June open primary was contested by Issa and two Democrats: Dave Peiser and Noboru Isaga. The top two vote-getters, Issa (62%) and Peiser (28%), advanced to the general election.{{cite web |url=http://www.sdvote.com/voters/Eng/archive/201406bull.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809153723/http://www.sdvote.com/voters/Eng/archive/201406bull.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 9, 2014 |title=Gubernatorial Primary Election, Tuesday, June 3, 2014|work=San Diego County Registrar of Voters|access-date=December 10, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.ocvote.com/data/election-results-archive/|title=Election results archive|work=Orange County Registrar of Voters |access-date=December 10, 2014}} Issa was elected to an eighth term, 60% to 40%.{{cite web |url=http://www.sdvote.com/voters/results/election.xml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512005709/http://www.sdvote.com/voters/results/election.xml|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 12, 2014|title=Gubernatorial General Election, Tuesday, November 4, 2014|work=San Diego County Registrar of Voters|access-date=December 10, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ocvote.com/fileadmin/live/gen2014/results.htm|title=General Election 2014, November 4, 2014 |work=Orange County Registrar of Voters|access-date=December 10, 2014}}

{{See also|United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2016#District 49}}

In the June open primary, Issa received 51% of the vote to 46% for Democrat Doug Applegate, a retired Marine colonel.{{cite web|url=http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/us-rep/district/49|title=2016 General Election Results - California Secretary of State|access-date=November 12, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112080931/http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/us-rep/district/49|archive-date=November 12, 2016 }} Issa and Applegate advanced to the general election in November.{{cite web |url=http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/darrell-issa-doug-applegate-viable-challenger|title=Darrell Issa Gets Viable Challenger |publisher=Roll Call|date=June 10, 2016|access-date=August 28, 2016|last=Garcia|first=Eric}} In October, Applegate and Issa were ranked by the Cook Political Report as equally likely to win.

Issa sent out a campaign mailer that featured a photograph of President Barack Obama signing a law. The mailer said that Issa was "very pleased" that Obama signed the Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act, which Issa had co-sponsored.

Unusually, President Obama responded to this late campaign mailer by saying that Issa's "primary contribution to the U.S. Congress has been to obstruct and to waste taxpayer dollars on trumped up investigations that have led nowhere." Obama said that, because of fading support for Donald Trump, Issa was promoting his cooperation with the president although he had previously accused Obama of corruption.{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/24/politics/barack-obama-darrell-issa-comments|title=Obama: Issa 'not somebody who is serious about working on problems'|last=Liptak|first=Kevin|date=October 24, 2016|work=CNN}}

Issa said, "I've worked with the administration on good legislation where it was possible, called out wrongdoing wherever I saw it and will continue to do so."{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-after-getting-ripped-by-president-1477351797-htmlstory.html|title=GOP Rep. Darrell Issa returns fire after President Obama rips his campaign mailer|last=Willon|first=Phil|date=October 24, 2016|work=Los Angeles Times}}

On November 23, 2016, Issa held a 3,234-vote lead with approximately 6,000 ballots still uncounted. He declared victory, but Applegate had not conceded.{{cite news|last1=Wisckol|first1=Martin|title=Congressman Issa declares re-election win in 49th district|url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/issa-736346-applegate-campaign.html|access-date=November 23, 2016 |publisher=Orange County Register|date=November 22, 2016}} The Associated Press finally declared Issa the winner on November 28, citing a small but convincing lead with only a few votes left to count.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/us/politics/darrell-issa-wins-congress-california.html?_r=0|title=Darrell Issa Narrowly Wins Re-election in California|last=Chokshi|first=Niraj|date=November 28, 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 29, 2016}}

{{See also|United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2018#District 49}}

Multiple Democrats, including Applegate and environmental attorney Mike Levin, launched campaigns for California's 49th district seat.{{cite news|last1=Willon|first1=Phil|title=Another Democrat jumps into the 2018 race against Republican Rep. Darrell Issa|url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-another-democrat-jumps-into-the-2018-1489003574-htmlstory.html|access-date=January 6, 2018|work=Los Angeles Times|date=March 8, 2017}} Given the close margin in 2016, the election was expected to be highly competitive.{{cite news |last1=Bellatoni|first1=Christina|last2=Westfall|first2=Julie|last3=Wisk|first3=Allison|title=California could flip the House, and these 13 races will make the difference|url=https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-pol-ca-california-congressional-race-rankings/ |access-date=January 6, 2018|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 20, 2017}} For months, Issa's Vista office was the site of weekly protests. Hundreds of people gathered to protest against Trump and his agenda and actions. At a May rally, 800 people showed up to protest the House vote to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).{{cite news |title=Weekly Demonstrations |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/sd-no-weekly-demonstrations-20170830-story.html |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |date=September 5, 2017 }} On January 10, 2018, Issa announced that he would not run for reelection. Democrat Mike Levin won the seat.

{{See also|2020 United States House of Representatives elections in California#District 50}}

On September 26, 2019, Issa announced that he was running for California's 50th congressional district in the 2020 election. The incumbent at that time was fellow Republican Duncan D. Hunter, who was then under indictment. In December 2019, Hunter pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and resigned from Congress effective January 13, 2020, leaving the seat vacant.{{Cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/07/rep-duncan-hunter-resigns-from-congress-095725 |title=Rep. Duncan Hunter resigns from Congress |first=Melanie |last=Zanona |work=Politico}}

In redistricting, the 50th district had absorbed much of Issa's former base in the more Republican inland portion of San Diego County. Issa placed second in the March 3, 2020, blanket primary and beat Democratic challenger Ammar Campa-Najjar by nearly 30,000 votes in the general election. Issa said he could switch districts because he owns his mother's home in Bonsall. He has long lived in Vista, where he has raised his family.

After the 2010 elections, Issa became chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He was a vocal advocate for investigations into the Obama administration, including the Troubled Assets Relief Program, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, corruption in Afghanistan, WikiLeaks, and the Food and Drug Administration, among other topics.{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/01/republican-plans-investigations-of-corrupt-obama-investigation/1 |title=Republican plans investigations of 'corrupt' Obama administration|date=January 3, 2011|work=USA Today}} In 2010 he told the press that he wanted the committee to hold investigative hearings "seven hearings a week, times 40 weeks."{{cite news |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44850.html |title=Darrell Issa plans hundreds of hearings|date=November 8, 2010 |publisher=Politico}}

In February 2011, the Watchdog Institute, a nonprofit investigative reporting center based at San Diego State University, published an investigation alleging that as leader of the committee, Issa built a team that included staff members with close connections to industries that could benefit from his investigations.{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/28/darrell-issa-team_n_829046.html|title=Darrell Issa's Team Includes Industry Insiders |last=Snyder|first=Whitney|date=February 28, 2011|publisher=HuffPost|access-date=December 4, 2011}}

On February 16, 2012, the committee held a hearing on the Department of Health and Human Services's regulation requiring insurance plans to cover birth control, which Issa believed to be a violation of the religious freedom of people who oppose the use of birth control. Democratic members submitted attorney and activist Sandra Fluke as a witness for promoting women's health, but Issa did not permit her to testify, saying her name was submitted too late,{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/where-are-the-women-dispute-settled-kind-of/2012/03/27/gIQA8tGHgS_story.html |title='Where are the women?' dispute settled. Kind of.|last=O'Keefe|first=Ed|date=March 28, 2012 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} a claim Democrats challenged.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/meet-sandra-fluke-the-woman-you-didnt-hear-at-congress-contraceptives-hearing/2012/02/16/gIQAJh57HR_blog.html|title=Contraception Controversy Continues: Meet Witness Sandra Fluke|last=Kiff|first=Sarah|date=February 16, 2012|newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 3, 2012}}

In 2013 Issa introduced the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2013 (H.R. 2061; 113th Congress).{{cite web|url=http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/2061/all-actions|title=H.R. 2061 – All Actions|publisher=United States Congress|access-date=November 18, 2013}} H.R. 2061 aimed to make information on federal expenditures more easily available, accessible, and transparent.{{cite web |url=http://www.cbo.gov/publication/44793|title=CBO – H.R. 2061|date=November 13, 2013|publisher=Congressional Budget Office|access-date=November 18, 2013}} President Obama signed the bill into law on May 9, 2014.{{cite web|title=S. 994 - All Actions |url=http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/994/all-actions/|publisher=United States Congress|access-date=April 28, 2014}}

Issa introduced the FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act of 2014 (H.R. 1211; 113th Congress) on March 15, 2013, a bill to amend the Freedom of Information Act in order to make it easier and faster to request and receive information.{{cite web|url=http://cbo.gov/publication/44264|title=H.R. 1211 – CBO|date=May 21, 2013|publisher=Congressional Budget Office |access-date=February 26, 2014}}{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2014/02/house-unanimously-passes-foia-bill-184049.html|title=House unanimously passes FOIA bill|last=Gold|first=Hadas|date=February 26, 2014 |access-date=February 27, 2014 |newspaper=Politico}} The bill would have required the Office of Management and Budget to create a single FOIA website for people to use to make FOIA requests and check on the status of their request. It would also have created a Chief FOIA Officers Council charged with reviewing compliance and recommending improvements, and required the federal agency to release the information it disclosed to the person who requested it publicly afterward.

Issa argued in favor of the bill because it "shifts the burden of proof from the public requestor seeking information about a government agency...to the government being open and transparent unless it has a good reason to withhold."{{cite news|url=http://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2014/02/house-passes-bill-put-more-foia-processing-online/79447/?oref=ng-dropdown |title=House passes bill to put more FOIA processing online|last=Marks|first=Joseph|date=February 26, 2014|access-date=February 27, 2014 |newspaper=NextGov.com}} The bill passed the House unanimously on February 25, 2014,{{cite web|url=http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/1211/all-actions|title=H.R. 1211 – All Actions|date=February 26, 2014|publisher=United States Congress|access-date=February 26, 2014}} but a nearly identical Senate bill failed when it was tabled by House Speaker John Boehner.{{Cite episode|publisher=PBS|credits=Robert Collins (Director)|title=Push to Reform the Freedom of Information Act Collapses in House|work=Media - Frontline|series=Frontline|access-date=December 14, 2014|date=14 December 2014|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/media/push-to-reform-the-freedom-of-information-act-collapses-in-house/}}

Issa introduced the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (H.R. 1232; 113th Congress) on March 18, 2013, to make changes and reforms to the framework that manages how the federal government buys new technology.{{cite web |url=http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/1232|title=H.R. 1232 – Summary |publisher=United States Congress |access-date=February 26, 2014}} One of the requirements would be that the government develop a streamlined plan for its acquisitions.{{cite news|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/votes/199254-house-votes-to-fix-foia-process/|title=House votes unanimously to fix FOIA process|last=Kasperowicz|first=Pete|date=February 25, 2014 |access-date=February 27, 2014 |newspaper=The Hill}} The bill would increase the power of federal agencies' chief information officers (CIO) so that they could be more effective.{{cite news|url=http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20140225/ACQ02/302250009/House-passes-FITARA?odyssey=nav%7Chead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140227202951/http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20140225/ACQ02/302250009/House-passes-FITARA?odyssey=nav%7Chead|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 27, 2014|title=House passes FITARA|last=Hardy|first=Michael|date=February 25, 2014|access-date=February 27, 2014|newspaper=Federal Times}}

Each agency would also be reduced to having only one CIO, who would be responsible for the success and failure of the agency's IT projects.{{cite news|url=http://www.nextgov.com/cloud-computing/2014/02/it-reform-act-heads-house-floor-today/79357/|title=IT Reform Act Heads to House Floor Tuesday|last=Marks|first=Joseph|date=February 25, 2014 |access-date=February 27, 2014|newspaper=NextGov.com}} The bill would also require the federal government to make use of private sector best practices. The bill was intended to reduce IT procurement-related waste.{{cite news |url=http://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2014/02/25/it-bill-vote-today.aspx|title=Acquisition reform effort hits the House floor |date=February 25, 2014|access-date=February 27, 2014|newspaper=Washington Technology}} It passed the House in a voice vote on February 25, 2014. In December 2014 it passed as a section of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015.{{cite web |url=https://www.actiac.org/groups/project-fitara |title=Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform ACT (FITARA)|work=ACT-IAC |access-date=March 4, 2017}} Issa also introduced and co-sponsored The Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (Pub.L. 113–283, S. 2521; commonly referred to as FISMA Reform), which Obama signed into law on December 18, 2014.{{Cite journal|last=Kominsky|first=Mitchell |date=February 2014|title=The Current Landscape of Cybersecurity Policy: Legislative Issues in the 113th Congress |url=http://harvardnsj.org/2014/02/the-current-landscape-of-cybersecurity-policy-legislative-issues-in-the-113th-congress/ |journal=Harvard Law School National Security Journal}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/2521/text|title=S.2521, 113th Congress|date=December 18, 2014|access-date=May 10, 2019}}

On May 7, 2014, Issa introduced a simple resolution in the House (which passed 231 - 187): Recommending that the House of Representatives find Lois G. Lerner, former Director, Exempt Organizations, Internal Revenue Service, in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with a subpoena duly issued by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The resolution holds Lois Lerner, one of the central Internal Revenue Service officials involved in the 2013 IRS scandal, in contempt of Congress for her refusal to testify about the scandal before Issa's committee in response to a subpoena.{{cite web|url=http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-resolution/574|title=H.Res. 574 – Summary|date=May 7, 2014|publisher=United States Congress|access-date=May 12, 2014}}William Branigin and Ed O'Keefe, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/lois-lerner-invokes-fifth-amendment-in-house-hearing-on-irs-targeting/2013/05/22/03539900-c2e6-11e2-8c3b-0b5e9247e8ca_story.html "Lois Lerner invokes Fifth Amendment in House hearing on IRS targeting"], The Washington Post, May 22, 2013.{{cite web|last1=Parisi|first1=Paula|title='Fair Play, Fair Pay' Radio-Royalty Act Gains Momentum, But Faces Uphill Climb|url=https://variety.com/2017/biz/news/fair-play-fair-pay-radio-royalty-act-gains-momentum-1202462359/|website=Variety|access-date=April 18, 2018|date=June 12, 2017}}

In July 2017, Issa introduced the CLASSICS Act to Congress in a bipartisan effort to empower artists by collecting royalties for the preceding three-year period and also by ensuring their creative rights remain in force for pre-1972 recordings just as newer artists are guaranteed by current legislation. Issa has been a consistent cosponsor of the Fair Play Fair Pay Act as well; granting radio performance rights for musicians and record producers.{{cite web|last1=Lewis|first1=Randy |title=Fair Play, Fair Pay Act of 2015 would require radio to pay for music |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-fair-play-fair-pay-act-congress-radio-royalties-20150413-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=April 18, 2018|date=April 13, 2015}}{{cite magazine|title=Garth Brooks, Tina Turner and Neil Young Join Call for CLASSICS Act Passage|url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/legal-and-management/8099518/garth-brooks-tina-turner-and-neil-young-join-ad|magazine=Billboard|access-date=April 18, 2018 |date=February 13, 2013}}{{cite web|last1=Hertweck |first1=Nate|title=CLASSICS Act Champion Rep. Issa To Retire|url=https://www.grammy.com/advocacy/news/rep-darrell-issas-retirement-brings-new-urgency-classics-act|website=GRAMMY.com|access-date=April 18, 2018|date=January 12, 2018}}

In 2001, Issa's San Clemente district office was targeted in an aborted bombing plot. Jewish Defense League leader Irving Rubin was arrested along with Earl Krugel in connection with the plot, which reportedly had focused on other targets before shifting to Issa's office.{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011213012328/http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_hate.jsp?id=371|date=December 13, 2001|title="Chair of Jewish Defense League Arrested in Failed Bomb Plot"}}, Tolerance.org, December 12, 2001.
Archived from the [http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_hate.jsp?id=371 original] December 13, 2001; retrieved November 11, 2016. Issa speculated that the cause of the incident may have been a column written by political commentator Debbie Schlussel in which she charged that Issa sympathized with Hezbollah despite its being listed by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization, charges he denied.Cantlupe, Joe (December 24, 2001). [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20011224-9999_1m24issa.html "Rep. Issa's fight with columnist has dark side"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060320202624/http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20011224-9999_1m24issa.html |date=March 20, 2006 }}. SignOnSanDiego.com; San Diego Union Tribune, Copley News Service; accessed November 11, 2016.Schlussel, Debbie (November 30, 2001). {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020821192500/http://politicalusa.com/columnists/schlussel/schlussel_003.htm|date=August 21, 2002|title="Darrell Issa: Traitor, or useful idiot?"}}. Political USA blog.

Archived from the [http://www.politicalusa.com/columnists/schlussel/schlussel_003.htm original], August 21, 2002.

In September 2011, a liberal advocacy and lobbying group, American Family Voices, filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics against Issa, alleging he had repeatedly used his position of authority on the Oversight Committee to improperly intervene in dealings with Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, and DEI Holdings, all of which Issa is associated with in some way. Issa's office rejected the allegations.Madison, Lucy (September 13, 2011) [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/liberal-group-files-ethics-complaint-against-darrell-issa/ Liberal group files ethics complaint against Darrell Issa], CBS News; accessed November 11, 2016.

The year before, the Project on Government Oversight, a government watchdog group, gave Issa its Good Government Award for his contributions to government oversight and transparency. These included publicizing documents produced by the New York Federal Reserve Bank in response to a congressional subpoena, publicly exposing the NYFR's secret "back-door bailout" of AIG's counterparties, and cofounding a Transparency Caucus dedicated to "promoting a more open and accountable government through education, legislation, and oversight."[http://www.pogo.org/honorees/good-government-award/ "Good Government Award Home Page"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707020520/http://www.pogo.org/honorees/good-government-award/|date=July 7, 2010}}, Project On Government Oversight website; retrieved July 1, 2010.Staff (June 29, 2010). [http://issa.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=558:issa-recognized-for-rigorous-government-oversight&catid=10:district-blog&Itemid=33&Itemid=33 "Press Room – Issa Recognized for Rigorous Government Oversight"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721042730/http://issa.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=558:issa-recognized-for-rigorous-government-oversight&catid=10:district-blog&Itemid=33&Itemid=33 |date=July 21, 2011 }} (Press Release); Congressman Issa's official website; retrieved July 2, 2010. In 2012 Issa featured in TechCrunch's list of "The 20 Most Innovative People in Democracy."{{Cite web|title=The 20 Most Innovative People in Democracy|url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/11/03/the-20-most-innovative-people-in-democracy-2012/|url-status=live|website=TechCrunch|date=November 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105185604/http://techcrunch.com:80/2012/11/03/the-20-most-innovative-people-in-democracy-2012/ |archive-date=November 5, 2012 }}

In late February 2021, Issa and a dozen other Republican House members skipped votes and enlisted others to vote for them, citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, while actually attending the Conservative Political Action Conference, which was held at the same time as their slated absences.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/26/politics/cpac-house-republicans-proxy-voting/index.html|title=More than a dozen Republicans tell House they can't attend votes due to 'public health emergency.' They're slated to be at CPAC.|publisher=CNN|last1=Bash|first1=Dana|last2=Raju|first2=Manu|last3=Diaz|first3=Daniella|last4=Fox|first4=Lauren|last5=Warren|first5=Michael|date=February 26, 2021|accessdate=March 10, 2021}} In response, the Campaign for Accountability, an ethics watchdog group, filed a complaint with the House Committee on Ethics and requested an investigation into Issa and the other lawmakers.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/10/politics/house-committee-ethics-watchdog-republicans-proxy-voting-cpac/index.html|title=First on CNN: Watchdog group requests investigation into 13 GOP lawmakers for misusing proxy voting|publisher=CNN|last1=Grayer|first1=Annie|last2=Diaz|first2=Daniella|date=March 10, 2021|accessdate=March 10, 2021}}

For the 118th Congress:{{cite web |title=Darrell Issa |url=https://clerk.house.gov/members/I000056 |publisher=Clerk of the United States House of Representatives |access-date=1 May 2023}}

• Committee on Foreign Affairs
• Subcommittee on Europe
• Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability
• Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
• Subcommittee on Research and Technology
• Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics
• Committee on the Judiciary
• Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet (chairman)
• Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust
• Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government

• Congressional Constitution Caucus{{cite web|title=Members|url=https://congressionalconstitutioncaucus-garrett.house.gov/about-us/membership|publisher=Congressional Constitution Caucus|access-date=May 8, 2018|archive-date=June 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614044928/https://congressionalconstitutioncaucus-garrett.house.gov/about-us/membership|url-status=dead}}
• Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus{{cite web|title=Members|url=http://www.ng911institute.org/about-the-congressional-nextgen-9-1-1-caucus|publisher=Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus|access-date=June 8, 2018|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142643/http://www.ng911institute.org/about-the-congressional-nextgen-9-1-1-caucus|url-status=dead}}
• Climate Solutions Caucus{{cite web|title=90 Current Climate Solutions Caucus Members|url=https://citizensclimatelobby.org/climate-solutions-caucus/| publisher=Citizens' Climate Lobby |access-date=October 20, 2018}}
• Freedom Caucus{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}
• Congressional Armenian Caucus{{Cite tweet|author=Armenian National Committee of America|user=ANCA_DC|title=Welcome Back @repdarrellissa to the Congressional #Armenian Caucus! The @ANCA_DC, @ANCA_WR, and pro-Armenian advocates throughout the Golden State look forward to working with Rep. Issa to advance pro-#Artsakh/Armenia priorities.|number=1362158041760735250|website=Twitter|access-date=April 28, 2022}}
• Republican Study Committee{{cite web|title=Member List|url=https://rsc-walker.house.gov/|publisher=Republican Study Committee|access-date=December 21, 2017|archive-date=January 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101195017/https://rsc-walker.house.gov/|url-status=dead}}
• Congressional Western Caucus{{cite web|title= Caucus Memberships|author=|url=https://westerncaucus.house.gov/about/membership.htm|format=|publisher=Congressional Western Caucus|date=|accessdate=9 April 2025}}

Issa voted with the majority of House Republicans 95% of the time during the 111th Congress.[http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/i000056/ "Darrell Issa profile"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100606211833/http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/i000056 |date=June 6, 2010 }}, The Washington Post; retrieved June 18, 2010.

As of 2020, Issa has a A+ rating from the Susan B. Anthony List for his abortion-related voting record.{{cite web |title=Darrell Issa |url=https://sbaprolife.org/representative/darrell-issa |website=SBA Pro-Life America |access-date=29 June 2022}} He supported the overturning of Roe v. Wade, calling the day the decision was made a "great day for the cause and principle of life".{{cite web |last1=Issa |first1=Darrell |title=Today is a great day for the cause and principle of life. The Supreme Court upheld its core obligation to discharge its duties faithfully and impartially. I will always stand for life. And I will always support and defend our Constitution. |url=https://twitter.com/repdarrellissa/status/1540419469482287105 |website=Twitter |access-date=29 June 2022 |language=en |date=24 June 2022}}

In April 2008, the Daily News reported that Issa questioned federal expenditures pertaining to disability-compensation claims from 9/11 first responders. He was criticized for making comments that the federal government "'just threw' buckets of cash at New York for an attack 'that had no dirty bomb in it, it had no chemical munitions in it'" and asking "why the firefighters who went there and everybody in the city of New York needs to come to the federal government for the dollars versus this being primarily a state consideration."Sisk, Richard and Michael McCauliff (April 3, 2008). [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/04/03/2008-04-03_gop_rep_darrell_issa_under_fire_from_eve.html "GOP Rep. Darrell Issa under fire from everywhere after 9/11 comments"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080404140836/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/04/03/2008-04-03_gop_rep_darrell_issa_under_fire_from_eve.html |date=April 4, 2008 }}, New York Daily News; accessed November 11, 2016. In September 2009, Issa's office released a statement indicating that his comments had been misrepresented and that the questions he asked concerned the then still unpassed bill H.R. 3543, which, according to the statement, "would give U.S. taxpayer dollars to those who did not suffer physical injury and did not work at or around Ground Zero."{{cite web|url=http://issa.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=216%3Asetting-the-record-straight-for-the-911-hearing-held-on-4108&catid=40%3Aissue-statements&Itemid=1|title=Setting the Record Straight for the 9/11 hearing held on April 1, 2008|publisher=issa.house.gov|date=September 11, 2009|access-date=January 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721042740/http://issa.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=216:setting-the-record-straight-for-the-911-hearing-held-on-4108&catid=40:issue-statements&Itemid=1|archive-date=July 21, 2011|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-3543|title=H.R. 3543: James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2007 |publisher=govtrack.usa|access-date=January 10, 2011}}

Issa came to national prominence in 2003 when he contributed more than $1.6 million to help fund a signature-gathering drive for the petition to recall California Governor Gray Davis. At the time he made the contribution, it was widely believed that Issa intended to run to replace Davis. But after fellow Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger entered the race two days before the filing deadline, Issa announced that he would not run.{{cite news |title=Darrell Issa pulls out of Calif. recall election|newspaper=USA Today|agency=Associated Press|date=August 7, 2003 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-08-07-issa-recall_x.htm|access-date=April 19, 2010}} He later said his mission had been accomplished with Davis's recall and that he wanted to continue to represent his district in Congress and work toward Middle East peace. At one point in the campaign he suggested people{{clarify|date=November 2013}} should vote against recalling Davis unless one of the two leading Republican contenders dropped out, concerned that Schwarzenegger and fellow Republican Tom McClintock would split votes, resulting in Democratic lieutenant governor Cruz Bustamante's election.Wildermuth, John (September 23, 2003). [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/09/23/ISSA.TMP "Issa, who started recall, now tells voters to reject it / Risk of GOP vote being split prompts call to retain Davis"] at sfgate.com. Issa endorsed Schwarzenegger, who won the governorship when Davis was recalled.

Issa voted against an amendment, which ultimately failed narrowly, that stated that religious corporations, associations and institutions that receive federal contracts cannot be discriminated against on the basis of religion. Democrats warn that such a provision could potentially allow discrimination against the LGBT community in the name of religious freedom.{{Cite news|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/280542-dems-cry-foul-after-house-gop-votes-down-lgbt-measure/|title=Chaos in House after GOP votes down LGBT measure|last=Marcos|first=Cristina|date=May 19, 2016|access-date=February 12, 2017 |newspaper=The Hill}}

Issa attracted attention for his close relationship with and strong support for Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election.{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2016/10/30/499952455/after-8-terms-trump-supporter-rep-darrell-issa-in-close-race|title=After 8 Terms, Trump Supporter Rep. Darrell Issa Faces Close Race|website=NPR.org|access-date=March 1, 2017}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-supporter-darrell-issa-faces-tough-re-election-fight-in-california-1477591294 |title=Donald Trump Supporter Darrell Issa Faces Tough Re-Election Fight in California|last=Lazo|first=Alejandro|date=October 27, 2016 |work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=March 1, 2017|issn=0099-9660}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-trumping-of-darrell-issa|title=The Trumping of Darrell Issa|date=August 31, 2016|magazine=The New Yorker|access-date=March 1, 2017}} He endorsed Trump in March 2016.{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-essential-poli-rep-darrell-issa-endorses-donald-trump-1462491805-htmlstory.html|title=Essential Politics May archives|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=March 1, 2017|issn=0458-3035}} When the Donald Trump and Billy Bush recording surfaced, Issa condemned Trump's remarks but did not rescind his endorsement.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/28/us/politics/darrell-issa-california.html|title=A Close Race for Darrell Issa, the House Mini-Trump|last=Huetteman|first=Emmarie|date=October 27, 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 1, 2017|issn=0362-4331}}

In early February 2017, Issa expressed his support for a special prosecutor to look into Trump's ties to Russia. On February 27, he walked back his previous comments.{{Cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gop-rep-darrell-issa-backtracks-on-call-for-trump-special-prosecutor/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&linkId=34949215|title=GOP Rep. Darrell Issa backtracks on call for Trump special prosecutor|access-date=February 28, 2017|language=en}} Issa supported Trump's dismissal of FBI Director James Comey, saying "Comey had lost my confidence long ago."{{Cite news|url=http://www.kpbs.org/news/2017/may/10/san-diego-politicians-react-trump-firing-fbi-direc|title=San Diego Representatives React To Trump Firing FBI Director Comey|last=Cavanaugh |first=Brooke Ruth, Christopher Underwood, Maureen|work=KPBS Public Media|access-date=May 10, 2017}}

Issa said he believed Russia meddled with the 2016 election. He supported Trump's firing of Comey (who was leading the investigation into the meddling) and that said the U.S. should focus on other issues.{{Cite news|url=http://www.cbs8.com/story/35419299/cbs-news-8s-one-on-one-interview-with-congressman-darrell-issa|title=CBS News 8's one-on-one interview with Congressman Darrell Issa|last=Price|first=Steve|access-date=May 14, 2017}} As of May 2017, Issa had voted in line with Trump's positions 100% of the time; by October 2018, that number had fallen to 93.3%.{{Cite web|url=https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130161612/https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 30, 2017|title=Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump|first=Aaron|last=Bycoffe|date=January 30, 2017|website=FiveThirtyEight}}

On January 7, 2021, after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building, Issa voted to reject the certification of Pennsylvania's electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election.{{Cite news|last=Griswold|first=Lewis|date=2021-01-07|title=Amid DC violence, these California Republicans voted to reject Biden's election|language=en-US|work=CalMatters|url=http://calmatters.org/politics/votebeat/2021/01/california-republicans-reject-biden-election/|access-date=2021-12-10}} He voted against impeaching Trump on an articles of impeachment for "incitement of insurrection" in the aftermath of the attack on the Capitol.{{Cite web|date=2021-01-14|title=Rep. Darrell Issa details why he opposed impeaching President Trump -|url=https://www.kusi.com/rep-darrell-issa-details-why-he-opposed-impeaching-president-trump/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-10|website=KUSI News|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114202400/https://www.kusi.com/rep-darrell-issa-details-why-he-opposed-impeaching-president-trump/ |archive-date=January 14, 2021 }} In May 2021, Issa voted against the creation of an independent commission to investigate the January 6 attack.{{Cite web|last=Stone|first=Ken|date=2021-05-20|title=Rep. Issa Votes Against Jan. 6 Probe, Says Questions Were 'Asked and Answered'|url=https://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2021/05/19/rep-issa-votes-against-jan-6-probe-says-questions-were-asked-and-answered/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-10|website=Times of San Diego|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519232317/https://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2021/05/19/rep-issa-votes-against-jan-6-probe-says-questions-were-asked-and-answered/ |archive-date=May 19, 2021 }}

Before the 2010 election, Issa pledged that, if elected, he would probe "Climategate", which refers to the hacked Climatic Research Unit emails that climate change denialists falsely asserted showed scientific misconduct and fraud by climate scientists.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/09/23/23climatewire-rep-issa-would-lead-climategate-probe-if-hou-44766.html|title=Rep. Issa Would Lead 'Climategate' Probe if House Goes to GOP|first=Robin|last=Bravender|date=September 23, 2010|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 1, 2017|issn=0362-4331}} He called Obama's unwillingness to investigate Climategate "unconscionable" and an abdication of responsibility.{{Cite news |url=https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/56152-rep-issa-obamas-refusal-to-investigate-climategate-emails-is-unconscionable/|title=Rep. Issa: Obama's refusal to investigate 'Climategate' emails is 'unconscionable'|date=December 4, 2009 |work=The Hill|access-date=March 1, 2017}}

In 2001, Issa voted for the authorization of the PATRIOT Act and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.[https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2001398 "Roll Call 398 | Bill Number: H. R. 3162], Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives; retrieved February 1, 2025 He voted to reauthorize the Patriot Act in 2005 after successfully amending it to require judicial notification, reporting requirements and facts justifying the use of roving surveillance at new facilities or places.{{cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/amendment/109th-congress/house-amendment/490 |title=H.Amdt. 490 to H.R. 3199 - 109th Congress|date=July 21, 2005 |publisher=congress.gov |access-date=February 1, 2025}}

Issa is one of several Lebanese-Americans in Congress.{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/15/AR2006081501015.html|title=In Congress, Lonely on Lebanon|last=Milbank|first=Dana|date=August 16, 2006 |access-date=November 12, 2016|via=washingtonpost.com}} He had a significant role in U.S. peace initiatives in the Middle East. He traveled to Lebanon and Syria in an effort to negotiate the end of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. In 2003, he appeared at a Washington rally by Iranian groups protesting against the Islamist government in Iran.[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2003/jul/9/20030709-110130-3554r/?page=all#pagebreak "Congress joins rally against Tehran regime"]. The Washington Times, July 9, 2003.

In March 2015, Issa supported the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, saying, "We must make it clear that we will support our allies and punish our enemies through steadfast resolve and decisive action."{{cite news |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/03/27/saudi-arabia-gets-bipartisan-backing-for-yemen-airstrikes|title=Saudi Arabia Gets Bipartisan Backing for Yemen Airstrikes|date=March 27, 2015|work=U.S. News. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328004338/http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/03/27/saudi-arabia-gets-bipartisan-backing-for-yemen-airstrikes|archive-date=March 28, 2015}}

In June 2021, Issa was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (AUMF) against Iraq.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-set-repeal-2002-iraq-war-authorization-n1271107|title = House votes to repeal 2002 Iraq War authorization|website = NBC News| date=June 17, 2021 }}{{cite web|url=https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2021/roll172.xml|title= FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 172|website=US House of Representatives|date=June 17, 2021}}

Issa favors repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), and voted in support of the budget resolution to repeal it in January 2017.{{Cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/political-courage-test/16553/darrell-issa/#.WLc2vhKLSfQ|title=The Voter's Self Defense System|website=Project Vote Smart|access-date=March 1, 2017}}{{Cite news|url=https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/darrell-e-issa/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302113142/https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/darrell-e-issa/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 2, 2017|title=Tracking Darrell E. Issa In The Age Of Trump|last=Bycoffe|first=Aaron|date=January 30, 2017 |work=FiveThirtyEight|access-date=March 1, 2017}}

On May 4, 2017, Issa voted to repeal Obamacare and pass the American Health Care Act.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/ahca-house-vote/|title=How the House voted to pass the GOP health-care bill |newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 4, 2017}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/05/04/health-care-vote-puts-pressure-dozens-vulnerable-gop-reps/101297824/ |title=Health care vote puts pressure on dozens of vulnerable GOP reps|work= USA Today|access-date=May 4, 2017}}

The organization San Diego Indivisible protested outside Issa's office weekly.{{when|date=May 2020}}{{Cite news |url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/sd-no-issa-protest-20170509-story.html|title=Several hundred protest Issa's health care vote|last=Figueroa|first=Teri|work=The San Diego Union-Tribune|access-date=May 11, 2017|language=en-US}} After Issa voted for the AHCA, about 800 people from the organization protested, on the grounds that a significant portion of his voters rely on the ACA. The group was also unhappy about a photo in which Issa stood "front and center" in tribute to Republicans' success in passing the AHCA.{{Cite news|url=http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/news/north-county-report-issa-goes-undecided-decisive-health-care/|title=North County Report: Issa Goes From Undecided to Decisive on Health Care - Voice of San Diego|date=May 10, 2017|work=Voice of San Diego|access-date=May 11, 2017|language=en-US}}

Instead of coming back to California to meet the protesters, Issa flew to an event in Florida to raise money, though he said he would meet with them later.

The next Friday, over 100 people protested his desire to defund Planned Parenthood.

An organization called Save My Care spent $500,000 to release a series of attack ads against 24 House members who voted for the AHCA, including one about Issa.{{Cite news|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/sd-me-issa-meetings-20170508-story.html|title=After tough health care vote, Issa to meet with constituents |last=Stewart |first=Joshua |work=The San Diego Union-Tribune|access-date=May 11, 2017|language=en-US}}{{Cite news |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/332352-liberal-group-funds-500k-in-attack-ads-after-healthcare-vote/|title=Liberal group funds $500K in attack ads after healthcare vote|last=Sommer|first=Will|date=May 8, 2017|work=The Hill|access-date=May 11, 2017}}

In 2023, he voted for a resolution stating support for Israel against Gaza war launched by Hamas.{{Cite web |last=Washington |first=U. S. Capitol Room H154 |last2=p:225-7000 |first2=DC 20515-6601 |date=2023-10-25 |title=Roll Call 528 Roll Call 528, Bill Number: H. Res. 771, 118th Congress, 1st Session |url=https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023528 |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives |language=en}}

On July 19, 2022, Issa and 46 other Republican Representatives voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.{{cite news|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3566600-these-are-the-47-house-republicans-who-voted-for-a-bill-protecting-marriage-equality/|title=These are the 47 House Republicans who voted for a bill protecting marriage equality|work=The Hill|last=Schnell|first=Mychael|date=July 19, 2022|accessdate=July 25, 2022}}

Issa supports embryonic stem cell research and has voted to allow it.{{cite news|last1=Gaouette|first1=Nicole|title=Stem cell study funds pass House|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jan-12-na-stemcell12-story.html|access-date=November 1, 2016|work=Los Angeles Times|date=January 12, 2007}}

He co-sponsored both the 2008 and 2009 versions of the Fair Copyright in Research Works Act and sponsored the Research Works Act ({{USBill|112|H.R.|3699}}) introduced in 2011, all of which aim at a reversal of the NIH's Public Access Policy,{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/01/why-is-open-internet-champion-darrell-issa-supporting-an-attack-on-open-science/250929|title=Why Is Open-Internet Champion Darrell Issa Supporting an Attack on Open Science?|last=Rosen|first=Rebecca J.|date=January 5, 2012|publisher=The Atlantic}} which mandates open access to NIH-funded research.{{cite journal|year=2008|title=An open access mandate for the National Institutes of Health |journal=Open Medicine|volume=2|issue=2|pages=39–41|pmc=3090178|pmid=21602938 |last1=Suber |first1=Peter|author-link=Peter Suber}}

Issa voted against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. He was one of two California Republicans to vote against the bill, alongside Dana Rohrabacher.{{cite web|last1=Wire|first1=Sarah D.|title=California politics news feed |url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-12-california-republicans-join-gop-to-1513791286-htmlstory.html|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=December 20, 2017}} Issa expressed concern that "many" of his constituents would face increased taxes under the proposal and that "Californians have entrusted me to fight for them. I will not make the incredible tax burden they already endure even worse."{{cite web|last1=Bhattarai|first1=Abha|title=FedEx says new tax cuts could boost annual profits by $1.3 billion|url=https://bangordailynews.com/2017/12/20/business/fedex-says-new-tax-cuts-could-boost-annual-profits-by-1-3-billion/|website=Bangor Daily News|date=December 20, 2017|access-date=December 20, 2017}}

Issa opposed the Stop Online Piracy Act because of the amount of discretion it would give the Department of Justice.{{cite news |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57342716-281/rep-issa-sopa-wont-be-approved-unless-fixed|title=Rep. Darrell Issa, a senior House Republican, is predicting a dim future for the Stop Online Piracy Act|date=December 14, 2011|work=C-Net|access-date=January 10, 2012}}

In the 1970s, Issa married his high school sweetheart, Marcia Enyart. They eventually divorced. After he left the military, Issa married Kathy Stanton. The two met while neighbors, when Stanton locked her keys inside her apartment and Issa climbed up the balcony to get into her apartment.{{cite magazine |last1=Lizza |first1=Ryan |title=Don't Look Back |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/01/24/dont-look-back-ryan-lizza |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=22 November 2020 |language=en-us |date=17 January 2011}} They were married in 1980 and had one son. In July 2018, he filed for divorce from Kathy, and their divorce became final in March 2021.{{cite news|url=https://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2022/05/30/tale-of-two-splits-duncan-hunter-divorce-is-well-known-darrell-issas-finally-told/|title=Tale of Two Splits: Duncan Hunter Divorce Is Well-Known, Darrell Issa's Finally Told|last=Stone|first=Ken|date=May 31, 2022|work=The Times of San Diego|access-date=30 May 2022}}

• 2001 Jewish Defense League plot in California
• List of richest American politicians
• List of Arab and Middle Eastern Americans in the United States Congress

{{Reflist}}

{{Sister project links}}

• [https://issa.house.gov/ Representative Darrell Issa] official U.S. House website
• [https://www.darrellissa.com/ Darrell Issa campaign website]

{{CongLinks|votesmart=16553|congbio=I000056|fec=H0CA48024|congress=darrell-issa/I000056}}

• {{C-SPAN|90066}}
• {{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/darrellissa/info/?tab=page_info|title=Darrell Issa - About - Facebook |website=Facebook |access-date=November 12, 2016}}

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