Wikipedia:Congressional staffer edits

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On January 27, 2006, the Lowell Sun of Massachusetts published an article entitled "Rewriting history under the dome". This story unveiled the editing by Congressional staff members of Congressman Marty Meehan's Wikipedia entry.

"Matt Vogel, Meehan's chief of staff, said he authorized an intern in July to replace existing Wikipedia content with a staff-written biography of the lawmaker."

Further investigation by Wikipedia members discovered well over a thousand edits by IP addresses allocated to the US House of Representatives and Senate. These edits had, among others, added libelous statements, removed content with malice, added insults, and violated Wikipedia Policy. This has resulted in the blocking of at least two of the IP addresses and the opening of a request for comments page.

Below is a review of edits.

Key

G - represents good faith contributors

T - represents test editors

P - represents POV (point of view) pushers

V - represents vandals

United States Congress

United States House of Representatives

Range: 143.228.0.0/16

This list contains 1 IP that originated from this range. This list is complete.

143.228.129.13 (talk • contribs • count)

Range: 143.231.0.0/16

This list contains 2 IPs that originated from this range.

143.231.249.141 (talk • contribs • count)

- Already blocked. The original IP address, possibly used by staff of Congressman Meehan and possibly other House of Representatives staff members, registering over 1000 edits over hundreds of articles.

The block was lifted January 30, 2006. A new block for additional vandalism was enforced for three hours February 1, 2006 at 14:59.

A further block for "linkspamming after many warnings" was enforced for three hours on April 10, 2007 at 15:59.

143.231.249.138 (talk • contribs • count)

- Repeatedly blocked. This IP address has been repeatedly blocked in response to abuse of editing privileges.

Recently, the account was blocked for one day on 16 July 2014.

The account was subsequently blocked for ten days on 24 July 2014.

The same account was blocked yet again, this time for a month, on 20 August 2014.

On 22 September 2014, the account was blocked for three more months.

Partial list of edited articles

Other politicians and political articles edited with House IP Addresses are:

2020 United States Senate election in Michigan IP changing names of candidates
Joe Wilson (U.S. politician) (Congressman SC, not Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson)
Richard Pombo (Removing references to possible ties to Jack Abramoff and many other NPOV yet politically damaging items)
Pete McCloskey
Dennis Hastert
Dave Hobson (removed statement that Hobson supports stem cell research)
Connie Mack IV
United States House of Representatives Page
Dan Lungren
Joy Padgett
Tom Lantos
United States House of Representatives, New Jersey District 13
Trent Lott (editing references to his rumored actions... we guess they would know)
Phil Gramm (removing quotes we wouldn't want anyone to see if we had to run for re-election)
Frank Pallone
John Colyandro
Todd Akin
John Doolittle
Dana Priest
Jerrold Nadler
Rick Renzi (removing a section titled "Ethical Questions")
Nathan Deal
Ralph Herseth
Trent Franks
Rick Kahn
Lois Pines
Dana Priest
Bill O'Reilly (commentator)
Rafael Diaz-Balart
Nic Lott
Jim Ramstad (removing reference to his "moderate liberal" tendencies)
Trent Franks (replacing article with official House bio)
Bill Pascrell, Jr.
Darrell Issa (removing references to pro-Palestinian actions)
Talk:Jim Nussle (removing talk section titles 'Republican conspiracy')
Jim Nussle (removing references to his divorce)
Bob Etheridge
Darrell Issa (removing quotes supporting Hezbollah)
Rick Renzi (replacing article with official House bio)
Fred Upton
Rodney Frelinghuysen (removing information about financial contributions)
John Abizaid
J. D. Hayworth
Roy Blunt
Doc Hastings
Sam Johnson (removing unflattering quotes)
Mark Green (removing references to "unethical campaign finance practices", references to his ties with Tom DeLay, and other unflattering details)
Mary Bono
Vern Ehlers
Bill Jefferson
Mary Landrieu
Eric Cantor
Bill Frist
David Dreier (removing unflattering information about his 2004 campaign)
Discovery Institute
Rob Andrews
Lee Terry
Bobby Jindal
Duncan Hunter
Joe Barton
John Salazar
Marc Maron
New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2005
Frank Lucas
Closed sessions of the United States House of Representatives
John Boozman
Chris Cannon
Mac Thornberry
Sherrod Brown
Dana Bash
Jane Harman
Jerrold Nadler
Jim Ramstad
Nancy Johnson (politician)
Jerry Weller (adding self-promoting material and removing questions of a conflict of interest)
Ben Bernanke
Hurricane Katrina
Henry Waxman
Rahm Emanuel
Henry Clay
Pete Williams
Kelly Young
21st Century Democrats
Tom Daschle
Eric Fingerhut
Podcasting (This past summer,^[when?] the House Republican Conference, under Chairman Deborah Pryce, began podcasting all their press events.)
Ernest Istook
Tom DeLay
Bob Riley (Alabama)
Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Nita Lowey
Bob Taft (removing ties to Jack Abramoff)
United States Constitution
Bernie Sanders
Major Owens
Gregory W. Meeks
Jim Leach
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Antonin Scalia
List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States
Ward Connerly (adding libelous comment)
People For the American Way
Ralph Neas (attempting to categorize him as "socialist")
MoveOn (changing liberal to "left-wing")
Jo Ann Davis
Posse Comitatus Act
United States Capitol Police
Angela Davis
Barbara Jordan
Alan Keyes
Iraq on the Record Report
Ed Royce
Pardon
William F. Buckley, Jr.
2003 Invasion of Iraq (saying there was a connection between Iraq and al-Qaeda)
American liberalism
Barry Goldwater
Liberalism
Eric Burns (political strategist) (blanking article)
Amo Houghton
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Samara Barend
Randy Kuhl (removing scandal related information)
U.S. House elections, 2006
Fred Upton
Jo Bonner
Gary Ackerman
Ralph Yarborough
Robert C. Scott
Al Green (politician)
Jim Sensenbrenner (removing information in "Controversy" section)
Paul S. Trible, Jr.
William Lacy Clay, Jr.
Nancy Pelosi (entering libelous statements)
Nathan Deal
William Donald Schaefer
Harry Reid
James Stockdale
Paul Driessen
Republican Party (United States)
Che Guevara
Tammy Baldwin
Ray LaHood
G. K. Butterfield
Steve Buyer
Scott DesJarlais
Jackie Speier

Potential House staffers involved

Someone who has spoken to Phil Crane

as represented in the entry saying "I spoke with Mr. Crane last week and he was never a staff member to then former VP Richard Nixon."

Chris Taylor, Assistant Press Secretary to the Speaker of the House

as represented in this entry

"Noah," staff member to Jim Ramstad (who someone believes is "the best ever")

as represented in this entry

Philip Schmidt (communications director for Congressman Jose E. Serrano)

as represented in this entry, someone believes "He's one hell of a model American."

Laurent Crenshaw, Former Deputy Press Secretary to the House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, and Legislative Assistant to Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-49).

as represented in this entry, someone added him to the list of Famous alumni of Stanford University.

Nick Culp, staff assistant to Fred Upton

as represented in this entry, with someone saying he "is the best looking employee in all of Congress."

Congressman Meehan's response

Congressman Marty Meehan has responded to the January 27 2006, the Lowell Sun of Massachusetts article [1]:

Yesterday's story, "Rewriting history under the dome," accurately reported that in July of 2005 an intern in my office responsible for updating my biography also updated my online Wikipedia entry. I did not know that this change was being made at the time and was only made aware of it yesterday when informed that The Sun had inquired about it. Though the actual time spent on this issue amounted to 11 minutes, according to server logs, I do not consider it time well spent or approve of it in any way.

Part of being an elected official is to be regularly commented on, praised, and criticized on the Web. For example, one of the many anonymous users who have edited my own Wikipedia entry also updated Sen. Tom Daschle's entry by adding that Daschle is a "professional hack" and that "his brain was significantly altered" after his office was targeted by terrorists in the anthrax attacks on the Capitol in 2001. This is a predictable and unavoidable part of being in public life and, tempting as it may be to get involved, we should not. The Internet is a place for the free and open exchange of ideas and opinions. It was a waste of energy and an error in judgment on the part of my staff to have allowed any time to be spent on updating my Wikipedia entry. I thank The Sun for bringing it to my attention.'

MARTY MEEHAN U.S. Representative

United States Senate

Range: [2]

This list contains 175 IPs that originated from this range and edited Wikipedia. This list is complete. One IP is included that had all its edits deleted.

156.33.4.19 (talk • contribs • count) - GT - Good faith editor. A few edits (including a self reverted test) to Jeannette Island, mentioning an agreement between the US and USSR. July 05.
156.33.5.17 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Made two edits to articles related to the Anterior cruciate ligament, added information. Nov 05.
156.33.5.19 (talk • contribs • count) - V - Two vandal attack edits to article on Senator Tom Coburn. Warned. Dec 05.
156.33.6.81 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.8.31 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Made several edits to DaimlerChrysler, noting the resigning chairman. July 05.
156.33.8.205 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.10.12 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.11.10 (talk • contribs • count) - T - Self reverted test to University of Colorado at Boulder. Aug 05.
156.33.12.31 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Updated article on Lee Mazzilli, baseball manager. Aug 05.
156.33.12.90 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Made a correction in Fuck. Mar 05.
156.33.15.27 (talk • contribs • count) - PV - Inserted emotional language into Hamas article. Vandalism to AIPAC espionage scandal article.
156.33.15.201 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.15.205 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Was seeking information on Wikipedia:Reference desk/Science about generators, national disasters, and the Department of Homeland Security's plan on long term power outages. Oct 05.
156.33.16.79 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.17.16 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Made a correction to a name in Steelpan. Aug 04.
156.33.17.34 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Added information to Karl Holz, chairman and president of Euro Disney SCA. June 05.
156.33.17.37 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.17.84 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.17.85 (talk • contribs • count) - T - Cut and paste testing to 2005. Jan 06.
156.33.17.101 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Good faith editor. Florida State University. Noted missed field goals by its football team. Jan 06.
156.33.18.3 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.18.43 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.18.203 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.19.54 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.21.18 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Removed an unverified statement from Pidgin (contact languages). June 05.
156.33.22.203 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Good faith edit to SIC, disambiguation page. Apr 05.
156.33.22.212 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Made a correction to Raistlin Majere, a fictional character from Dragonlance books. June 05.
156.33.23.46 (talk • contribs • count) - GP - Three edits to article on Senator Larry Craig, with a positive POV slant. Good faith edit to United States Capitol Subway System. Nov-Dec 05.
156.33.24.4 (talk • contribs • count) - G Created pages on Compton I. White (deleted as copyvio) and Compton I. White, Jr.
156.33.24.195 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Three edits, with a minor edit to the article on Senator Mike Crapo. Jan 06.
156.33.25.54 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.25.146 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.26.33 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Fixed sentence wording in Juan Ponce de León. May 05.
156.33.26.88 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.27.5 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.27.18 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Minor correction to article on Senator Evan Bayh. Dec 05.
156.33.27.37 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Two edits to Junkers Ju 388 (WW2 airplane). July 05.
156.33.27.198 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.27.206 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.29.19 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.29.33 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.30.25 (talk • contribs • count) - T - Self reverted test edit to article on Senator Tom Harkin. Nov 04.
156.33.30.37 (talk • contribs • count) - GV - Blanked an unflattering paragraph on the article about Senator Tom Harkin, and later removed another legitimate paragraph over a month later. Good faith edit to Senator Chuck Grassley. Warned. Nov 05-Jan 06.
156.33.31.14 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Made an addition to List of Kenyans. Nov 05.
156.33.37.212 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.38.19 (talk • contribs • count) - G - A few updates to Jerry Springer. June 05.
156.33.41.20 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.41.82 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.42.16 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.43.22 (talk • contribs • count) - V - Vandalism to article about Senator Robert Byrd. Edits made around same time as 156.33.43.214 below. Aug 05.
156.33.43.31 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.43.75 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.43.214 (talk • contribs • count) - V - Vandalism to article on Senator Robert Byrd and George W. Bush. Edits made around same time as 156.33.43.22 above. Aug 05.
156.33.44.11 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.44.19 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.44.170 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Sentence structure edits to Harvard Law Review. Sept 05.
156.33.45.14 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Good faith editor. Attempted reversion of vandalized Mohammed al Qahtani article. Dec 04.
156.33.45.72 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.45.84 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.46.154 (talk • contribs • count) - P - Major POV revisions to article on Senator Norm Coleman. Made another POV edit after these previous revisions were discovered. Warned. Jan 06.
156.33.50.14 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Added information to John Popper (musician). July 05.
156.33.50.101 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.51.199 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.52.24 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.52.39 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Small addition to Collegiate Network. Oct 05.
156.33.52.40 (talk • contribs • count) - P - Blanked unflattering paragraph to Senator Conrad Burns, and replaced it with an empty pro-Burns PR pablum. Jan 05.
156.33.54.9 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.55.85 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.56.17 (talk • contribs • count) - P - Added anti-Bush POV to single sentence on article about Senator Harry Reid, and created unusually poor stub for Richard Ziser, Reid's opponent in 2004. Appears to have been acting in concert with 156.33.56.67 below; the two IP's edits of Reid all took place within 24 hours of each other. May 05.
156.33.56.50 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Created article, Click Back America. Dec 04.
156.33.56.51 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.56.67 (talk • contribs • count) - P - Pro POV edits and revert war on Senator Harry Reid. Appears to have been acting in concert with 156.33.56.17 above; the two IP's edits of Reid all took place within 24 hours of each other. Warned. May 05.
156.33.59.101 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.59.155 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Good faith edits to Senator Frank Lautenberg. Mentions introduced legislation on the distribution of homeland security funds. Jan 06.
156.33.60.13 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.60.17 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.60.24 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Edits several to New Jersey city articles. Sept-Oct 05.
156.33.60.198 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.60.200 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.60.217 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.61.23 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Edit to Silver City, New Mexico. June 04.
156.33.63.9 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.63.206 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.63.219 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.64.28 (talk • contribs • count)- T - Added the word Test. Dec 11
156.33.65.29 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.66.204 (talk • contribs • count) - (unchecked)
156.33.67.29 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.70.150 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.71.50 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Edit to Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps. June 05.
156.33.73.15 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.73.209 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Two edits to Idaho city articles. Dec 05.
156.33.73.214 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Edits to Delta Upsilon related articles. Dec 05.
156.33.74.18 (talk • contribs • count) - GP - Major pro POV rewrite of Rambus, slight POV edit to Liliane Bettencourt, legitimate edits to Senator Ron Wyden. Nov 04-May 05.
156.33.74.33 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.75.42 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Added "College Republicans" to Clubs and organizations of Columbia University. June 05.
156.33.75.212 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.75.213 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.76.34 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Punctuation copyedit to Senator Byron Dorgan. Nov 04.
156.33.76.135 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.76.152 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.78.221 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Expanded on Mickey Edwards (former member of Congress) stub. Jan 06.
156.33.80.37 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.83.215 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.85.40 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.86.74 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Created Washington's Tomb article. Oct 05.
156.33.87.18 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Fixed capitalization in Rodney King. Nov 05.
156.33.87.42 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Fixed spelling in Universal default (financial term). July 05.
156.33.88.17 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Edited Mossville, Illinois. Dec 05.
156.33.88.212 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Created Mossville, Illinois article. Nov 05.
156.33.89.86 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.91.30 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.91.135 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.91.136 (talk • contribs • count) - G - A minor addition to Senator George Allen. June 05.
156.33.93.188 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.94.31 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Created link in Amazing Grace. Aug 05.
156.33.94.33 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.94.67 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.95.219 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.96.4 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.96.24 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.96.28 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Good faith edits to college football and Alabama related articles. Warned for unexplained blankings of a section in Jay Rockefeller, which was later identified as false information. Dec 05-Jan 06.
156.33.97.4 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.97.169 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.98.42 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.100.17 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.109.49 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.113.67 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.113.115 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.113.121 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.119.12 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.121.90 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.126.14 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.129.73 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Good faith edit to Senator Kent Conrad. Jan 06.
156.33.130.84 (talk • contribs • count) - TP - Self reverted pro POV edit to Senator Mary Landrieu, and self reverted anti POV edit to Representative Charlie Melancon. Dec 05.
156.33.131.3 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.131.7 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.131.9 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.131.11 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.131.14 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.134.103 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.134.114 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.138.34 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.138.89 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.140.21 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Good faith edits to Senator Norm Coleman and MP George Galloway. May-Aug 05.
156.33.140.81 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.140.149 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.140.243 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.141.169 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Minor correction to Senator George Allen. Has one deleted edit. Sept 04.
156.33.142.35 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.142.84 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.142.85 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.142.150 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.142.184 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.144.46 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.144.92 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.145.27 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.145.37 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.145.38 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.148.107 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Twenty-eight good faith edits, including a minor edits to Senator Olympia Snowe, expansion of William Swain Lee from a stub into an article, and other Republican related articles. Sept 05-Jan 06.
156.33.150.38 (talk • contribs • count) - P - Attempted to remove references to controversial statements made by Corrine Brown, and replace with a more positive statement. July 04.
156.33.154.207 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.156.61 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.163.175 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.165.75 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Minor correction to Senator Gordon Harold Smith. Sept 05.
156.33.168.72 (talk • contribs • count) - G - Minor correction to Senator Pete Domenici article. Dec 04.
156.33.168.158 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.180.87 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.194.26 (talk • contribs • count)
156.33.204.80 (talk • contribs • count) - G - minor edits to Triple H
156.33.205.112 (talk • contribs • count) - G - minor edits to Pregnancy
156.33.205.137 (talk • contribs • count) -?- minor edit of unknown purpose to United States
156.33.223.220 (talk • contribs • count)- G- minor (though erroneous) edit to Cluster (spacecraft)
156.33.223.221 (talk • contribs • count) - P - Added POV in article of George W. Bush.
156.33.229.65 (talk • contribs • count)- G - minor corrections and some contributions to former senator Al D'Amato
156.33.241.35 (talk • contribs • count)- -^[1]

Appropriate Congressional edit process

Emily Lawrimore Communications Director Congressman Joe Wilson

as represented by her entry creating a talk page for Joe Wilson, listing a request for someone to "update his bio with information from the following official bio too?"

Important note from Jimbo: this was an 'excellent' edit to a Talk page, after this staffer emailed me to ask about the appropriate way to request an update to Wikipedia. I suggested that she post information to the talk page, and she did so. After she did so, she blanked herself and emailed me again, essentially not REALLY sure this was ok. Her actions were 100% perfect in every respect, treating us appropriately. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jimbo Wales (talk • contribs)

Other US Government

Central Intelligence Agency

Range: 198.81.128.0/18

This list contains 3 IPs that originated from this range. This list is complete.

198.81.129.186 (talk • contribs • count) - G - 13 Good faith edits on information technology, US military & education topics, John M. McConnell (former director, NSA), Signal/One (manufacturer of radio transreceivers).
198.81.129.193 (talk • contribs • count)
198.81.129.194 (talk • contribs • count)