The misnamed Congressional ethics comittee cleared seven representatives of ethics violations, released the report on Friday, (papers like the Washington Post are making sure to cover it in their Saturday editions, which nobody reads) and issued a unanimous statement that read:
“Simply because a member sponsors an earmark for an entity that also happens to be a campaign contributor does not, on these two facts alone, support a claim that a member’s actions are being influenced by campaign contributions,” the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct said in a unanimous statement.
This, in spite of email evidence that campaign contributions directly affected the inclusion of earmarks—which are additions to bills that are not voted on by Congress, and which the public has no say in, although we have to foot the bill for—and, well, the no-bid contracts awarded to the contributors.
The late John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), who until his death earlier this month chaired the defense appropriations subcommittee, was also cleared. The other six lawmakers served on Murtha’s panel. In fiscal 2008 alone, the seven lawmakers sponsored $112 million worth of earmarks for clients of the PMA Group while accepting more than $350,000 in contributions from the firm’s lobbyists and its clients, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a watchdog group.
And the “Most Ethical Congress Ever” (Nancy Pelosi’s words) voted to clear the Congressmen even though they had clear evidence of wrongdoing.
The ethics committee decided to clear Visclosky even though the Office of Congressional Ethics, which conducts preliminary reviews, found probable cause that Visclosky sought contributions in exchange for steering federal contracts. It recommended that the more powerful House ethics committee subpoena Visclosky and his staff to answer questions under oath about his earmarking practice. The full ethics panel opted not to subpoena Visclosky or any other records.
You know, I get that deals are made by Congressmen. I don’t much like it, but it’s the way things work. But this goes beyond making deals. These are crooked representatives who deserve to be thrown out of office, if not in jail. And the Feds are investigating.
Then again, this administration is sitting on the Black Panther voter intimidation information and threw out the charges when there was video evidence of men with clubs intimidating the voters. Perhaps I shouldn’t be so sanguine about a Justice Department investigation of representatives. But I won’t be surprised if all seven vote for Obamacare.
well, thank goodness the cleanest administration in history and the cleanest congressional leadership in history is going to put an end to earmarks and have the most transparent government imaginable.
Or something. One could hardly claim that the Republicans are not engaging in similar corruption, but it’s a little harder to take coming from people who insist that they are more righteous than the other side. If Rangel were a Republican this would be all over the media.
Phooey. I’m just grateful spring training has begun.