The Clerk on the Payroll

A former member of Congress was charged with falsely and fraudulently telling the House of Representatives' disbursing office that a named woman was entitled to be paid as his official clerk. He was prosecuted under a federal law that punishes knowingly false or fraudulent statements made in any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States. The prosecution said the false representations to the disbursing office fell squarely within that law. The defence argued the law did not reach him at all: the disbursing office is part of Congress, not an executive department or agency, so false statements to it were not covered.