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Mark Kirk

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For the American art director, see Mark-Lee Kirk.
Mark Kirk
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 10th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2001
Preceded byJohn Porter
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKimberly Vertolli (2001-2009) (divorced)[1]
ResidenceHighland Park, Illinois[2]
Alma materCornell University
London School of Economics
Georgetown University Law Center
OccupationAttorney, Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserves
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service1989-present
RankCommander Insignia of Commander, United States Navy
UnitU.S. Navy Reserves

Mark Steven Kirk (born September 15, 1959) is an American politician who is currently a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the Illinois's 10th congressional district. He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee. Kirk is the Republican nominee for the 2010 Senate election in Illinois. In 2010 he lied about getting medals he did not earn and subsequently apologized and admitted that he lied.

Background

Mark Kirk was born in Champaign, Illinois to Judith Reeve and Francis Gabriel Kirk.[4][5] After graduating from New Trier East High School in 1977, he attended the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and then Cornell University, where he graduated cum laude with a B.A. in History.[6] Kirk later obtained a masters degree from the London School of Economics and a law degree from Georgetown Law School.[7][8]

In February 1998, Mark met his future wife, Kimberly Vertolli, a Naval Intelligence Officer, by chance, while the two on duty together at the Pentagon.[9] “It was supposed to be my weekend off … but Saddam had just thrown out the weapons inspectors and we were preparing for a strike on Baghdad” Kimberly told Capitol File Magazine.[10] The two married in August of 2001.[11]

After 8 years of marriage, the two separated, finalizing their divorce in the summer of 2009. Reports have noted that the divorce was an amicable one and the two remain close friends.[12]

Military service

In 1989, Kirk was directly commissioned as an intelligence officer in the Naval Reserve; he had no prior active duty military service. He continues to serve today, holding the rank of Commander.[8]

Since joining Congress in January 2001, Kirk's participation in the U.S. military has been limited by the Incompatibility Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Kirk has been limited to no more than two weeks' training each year.[13]

In 1999, Kirk was recalled to active duty for Operation Allied Force. He served from to April 10 to June 6, 1999 as the intelligence officer of VAQ-209.[14] VAQ-209 was combined with three other EA-6B squadrons to form an ad hoc unit called Electronic Attack Wing Aviano, Italy. VAQ-104 had tactical command of the combined unit.[15] In May, 2000, the National Military Intelligence Association bestowed the organization's Vice Admiral Rufus L. Taylor Award to Intelligence Division Electronic Attack Wing Aviano, Italy.[16]

In March and April, 2000 Kirk trained with an EC-130 squadron based in Turkey. Kirk took a flight over Iraq as part of Operation Northern Watch.[17]

Kirk has twice been two-week stints of training Afghanistan, December 15, 2008 through January 2, 2009 and December 19, 2009 through January 4, 2010[17] Before the December, 2009 training Undersecretary of Defense Gail H. McGinn noted in a memo that Kirk had on two previous active duty periods engaged in politicking allegedly in violation of Department of Defense regulations. McGinn required that prior to training in Afghanistan he had to sign a statement that he would comply with regulations prohibiting politicking on duty.[18]

During his military career, Kirk has been awarded the following medals: the Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, National Service Defense Medal, Joint Unit Achievement Medal.[8]

Early career

Kirk worked on the staff of John Porter, the former holder of Illinois’s 10th congressional district. From 1991-1993, Kirk was the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State in the U.S. State Department. Kirk was an attorney for Baker & McKenzie from 1993-1995. In 1995, Kirk was named as a counsel to the House International Relations Committee. He remained counsel to the House International Relations Committee until 1999.[8]

U.S. House

Kirk is a member of the House Iran Working Group, the founder and co-chair of the House U.S.-China Working Group,[19] the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues,[8] and a member of the GOP Tuesday Group.[20] He is also a member of the House Appropriations Committee.[21]

Committees assignments

Source: Appropriations subcommittees

Interest group ratings

According to vote-smart.org, in May 2010, these are some of Rep. Kirk's latest interest group ratings:

2010 Senate election

Main article: United States Senate elections in Illinois, 2010

On July 20, 2009, Kirk announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat held by Roland Burris, which had been held by Barack Obama before his election as president. On February 2, 2010, Kirk won the Republican primary with 56.6 percent of the vote; no other candidate had as much as 20 percent[22]

Cap and trade

During the primary Kirk updated his position on Cap and Trade legislation.

“Briefly about cap and trade: I voted for it because it was in the narrow interests of my Congressional district,” Kirk said. “But as your representative, representing the entire state of Illinois, I will vote No on that bill.”[23]

Military record controversy

On previous occasions, Kirk claimed to have been awarded "Navy Intelligence Officer of the Year" in 1999.[24] For example, in a 2002 House committee hearing recorded by C-Span, Kirk said, "I was the Navy's Intelligence Officer of the Year," an achievement he said gave him special qualifications to discuss national security spending.[25] However, in May 2010, the Washington Post reported that Kirk's claim to having been named the Navy's “Intelligence Officer of the Year” was erroneous. [26] The National Military Intelligence Association gave the Vice Admiral Rufus L. Taylor Award to the entire Intelligence Division Electronic Attack Wing at Aviano.[27] Kirk was the lead intelligence officer for VAQ-209, one of the four squadrons assigned to the Electronic Attack Wing. VAQ-140 had tactical command. [28]. When asked about the misstatement, Kirk said "(t)he error was discovered last week by my staff ... we recognized that referring to an award as “Intelligence Officer of the Year” was not precise – so we corrected my biography with the official name of a very distinguished award that I am honored to have received.[29].

Controversy regarding Kirk's military record continued as other statements surfaced, such as Kirk stating “the last time I was in Iraq I was in uniform, flying at 20,000 feet, and the Iraqi Air Defense network was shooting at us.” Kirk has since clarified his previous statements, admitting that he was never fired on as he flew over Iraq or Kosovo.[30] “I simply misremembered it wrong,” he told The Chicago Sun-Times, referring to his military record.[31]

On June 7, 2010, Medal of Honor recipient and advocate of Veteran’s benefits, Allen Lynch, commented on the situation to ABC 7 News. “To me, in my opinion, it’s just a bunch of nit picking. Plus, he’s done a christ ton for veterans. So I think this is being blown way out of proportion".[32] A number of veteran groups have also come out in support of Kirk along with his commanding officer who claimed "Mark was the best intelligence officer I ever worked with," while presenting Kirk with the Rufus Taylor Award and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.[32]

On December 18, 2009, Undersecretary of Defense Gail H. McGinn noted in a memo that Kirk had on two previous active duty periods engaged in politicking allegedly in violation of Department of Defense regulations; on one occasion Congressman Kirk commented on Rod Blagojevich's arrest and posted a tweet while on duty with the Navy in Afghanistan.[33] According to the Pentagon, Kirk was required to sign a statement acknowledging he knew the rules and wouldn't break them again.[34]

Teaching record

While he was a undergraduate student at Cornell he held a work study job supervising a play group at the Forest Home Chapel nursery school, and, after getting his masters degree, Kirk taught for one year at a private school in London.[35] He later stated in speeches and interviews that he had been nursery, middle, and high school teacher. For example, Kirk claimed in a speech to the Illinois Education Association, "As a former nursery school and middle school teacher, I know some of what it takes to bring order to class." However, a member of the Forest Home Chapel said, "He was never, ever considered a teacher [at the nursery school]."[35]

In discussing problems in in the educational system early in his congressional career, Kirk addressed the brevity of his teaching career: “I did leave the teaching profession, but if we had addressed some of the teacher development issues, which I want to raise with you, I might have stayed.”[35][36]

Electoral history

Illinois's 10th congressional district: Results 2000–2008[37]
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
2000 Lauren Beth Gash 115,924 49% Mark Kirk 121,582 51%
2002 Henry H. Perritt, Jr. 58,300 31% Mark Kirk 128,611 69%
2004 Lee Goodman 99,218 36% Mark Kirk 177,493 64%
2006 Daniel J. Seals 94,278 47% Mark Kirk 107,929 53% *
2008 Daniel J. Seals 138,176 47% Mark Kirk 153,082 53%
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2006, write-ins received 1 votes.

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ "About Mark". U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  3. ^ "Barack Obama, candidate for President, is 'UCC'". United Church of Christ. February 9, 2007. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  4. ^ http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=130075
  5. ^ http://kirk.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=350&Itemid=93
  6. ^ http://cornellsun.com/section/news/content/2010/02/15/mark-kirk-%E2%80%9981-campaigns-illinois-senate-seat-after-winning-primary
  7. ^ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-01-10/news/chi-kirk-senate-10-bdogjan10_1_senate-seat-north-shore-republicans/2
  8. ^ a b c d e "CBS 2 Voter Guide: Mark Kirk". CBS2Chicago.com. Retrieved June 22 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Text "date-January 18, 2010" ignored (help)
  9. ^ http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2006/05/kirk_lawmakers_wife_splits_for.html
  10. ^ http://www.law.northwestern.edu/news/article_full.cfm?eventid=2592
  11. ^ http://www.wingsprogram.com/pdfs/Kimberly%20Vertolli-Kirk%20Bio.pdf
  12. ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/05/rep-mark-kirks-divorce-to_n_212082.html
  13. ^ Brougher, Cynthia (June 10, 2009). "Service by a Member of Congress in the U.S. Armed Forces Reserves". Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  14. ^ Gill, Ellen Beth (May 29, 2010). "Let's Take A Look At Kirk's Award With A Former Navy Officer". Deerfield, IL: Ellen Beth Gill. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  15. ^ http://vaq140.ahf.nmci.navy.mil/Command%20History.htm
  16. ^ http://www.nmia.org/images/2000_NATIONAL_Award_Citations.pdf
  17. ^ a b Sweet, Lynn (June 3, 2010). "More Mark Kirk military embellishments surface, including in Senate ad, on House floor". Chicago, IL: Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  18. ^ Welch, Terry (June 9, 2010). "DoD Under Secretary says Mark Kirk broke the law". San Diego, CA: Terry Welch. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  19. ^ http://kirk.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1306:the-bipartisan-us-china-working-group&catid=77
  20. ^ http://www.tgpac.com/docs/pages/about_us.aspx
  21. ^ http://appropriations.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=95&Itemid=138
  22. ^ http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/32364.html
  23. ^ Sargent, Greg (September 15, 2009). "GOP Rep Gets Loudly Booed By Right, Performs Creative Flip-Flop". Washington, DC: Washington Post. Retrieved 6-22-2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  24. ^ Pearson, Rick (June 1, 2010). "U.S. Navy alerted Kirk to questions about his military award". Chicago, IL: Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 6-22-2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  25. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/29/AR2010052903029.html
  26. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/29/AR2010052903510.html
  27. ^ Smith, R. Jeffrey (May 29, 2010). "Illinois Senate candidate admits claim about military award was inaccurate". Washington, DC: Washington Post. Retrieved 6-22-2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  28. ^ http://vaq140.ahf.nmci.navy.mil/Command%20History.htm
  29. ^ http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2010/06/us-navy-alerted-kirk-to-questions-about-his-military-award.html
  30. ^ http://www.politicalwire.com/archives/2010/06/03/kirk_caught_misstating_his_military_record_again.html
  31. ^ Pallasch, Abdon (June 4, 2010). "Kirk says he 'misremembered' military record". Chicago, IL: Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
  32. ^ a b Pearson, Rick (June 3, 2010). Chicago, IL: Chicago Tribune. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help); Text "titleMedal of Honor Allen Lynch on Mark Kirk's Military Record" ignored (help) Cite error: The named reference "abc 7 new" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  33. ^ http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/15/2018129/pentagon-kirk-mixed-politics-with.html
  34. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100615/ap_on_el_se/us_illinois_senate_kirk
  35. ^ a b c Zeleny, Jeff (June 18, 2010). "School Officials Say Candidate Overstated His Role". New York Times. Retrieved June 21, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help) Cite error: The named reference "New York Times" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  36. ^ "Mark Kirk's Teaching Experience 'Overstated,' Says School Representative". June 18, 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  37. ^ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 10th congressional district
2001–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by
Jack Ryan
(withdrew)
Alan Keyes
(general election)
 Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from Illinois
(Class 3)
2010 		Succeeded by
Current nominee
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