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Guest
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http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/02/old-school-corruption/?feat=h
ome_editorials
Before taking control of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said,
"Democrats intend to lead the most honest, most open, and most ethical
Congress in history." However, with dozens of mostly Democratic
lawmakers and various staff under investigation by the House's twin
ethics bodies, the majority clearly values political power over clean
government.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Charles B. Rangel, 20-term
New York Democrat, and Defense Appropriations subcommittee Chairman Rep.
John P. Murtha, 19-term Pennsylvania Democrat, are the poster children
for how failed ethics cops protect old-guard lawmakers. While under
investigation by the ethics committee, they continue to hold onto power
in the face of obvious signs of corruption.
Along with 24-year veteran Rep. Peter J. Visclosky, Indiana Democrat,
and 18-year veteran Rep. James P. Moran, Virginia Democrat, Mr. Murtha
remains intertwined in an ongoing federal investigation of the PMA
Group. Clients of the defunct defense-lobbying firm received millions in
earmarks from the lawmakers after PMA's staff and clients gave more than
$1 million in campaign contributions to the three lawmakers.
Rep. Norm Dicks, 16-term Washington Democrat; Rep. Marcy Kaptur, 14-term
Ohio Democrat; Rep. C.W. Bill Young, 20-term Florida Republican; and
Rep. Todd Tiahrt, eight-term Kansas Republican, also are all facing
internal House investigations for their ties to the group. Though none
of these lawmakers has been charged with a crime, the situation has the
unmistakable stink of a classic "pay-to-play" scheme and more than calls
into question their continued service on the committee that gives out
defense funds.
The House ethics committee has been dithering in its investigation of
Mr. Rangel's activities for more than a year, perhaps by design, because
a completed investigation almost certainly threatens Mr. Rangel's
career. With no end to his reign as the House's chief tax writer in
sight, Mr. Rangel faces a litany of troubling accusations that include
failing to declare more than $650,000 in assets on his 2007 financial
disclosure forms, failing to pay taxes on rental income and landing tax
benefits by claiming three different homes as his primary residence.
The accusations against Rep. Don Young, Alaska Republican, first elected
in 1973, provide another example of how the process is broken. He is
accused of taking bribes from oil executive Bill Allen, who is awaiting
sentencing on federal bribery charges. Mr. Young at least was forced out
of his post as the top Republican on the House Natural Resources
Committee.
The lack of action by Democratic leaders is not surprising. The ethics
committee has a long history of being an ineffective tool for
investigating potential violations of ethics laws, only taking action
when it is absolutely politically necessary. Democrats'
smoke-and-mirrors Office of Congressional Ethics, created in 2008 under
the guise of improving the process, is fighting a turf battle with the
ethics panel and has only made the process more complex.
If Mrs. Pelosi is serious about ensuring lawmakers act ethically, she
would push real reforms of this flawed process and stop grading on a
massive curve. That requires a willingness to launch tough, active
investigations instead of the foot-dragging cover-ups that have become
all too typical.
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Nancy Pelosi, Democrat criminal, accessory before and after the fact to
Rangel's tax evasion. |
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