At least two major papers joined the call to Congress to pass independent ethics enforcement. The
LA Times endorses H.Res.895 and describes the enforcement body and why it likes the structure:
The [six member] board would conduct both preliminary and advanced investigations and refer serious charges to the Ethics Committee. If the committee were to reject a recommendation for further investigation, the board's report would be made public -- a powerful incentive for the committee not to engage in cover-up.
The
Philly Inquirer added a similarly forceful endorsement, starting off with this absurd statement by Rep. Louise Slaughter:
As House lawmakers wrestled with the need to beef up ethics enforcement, one congresswoman blurted out a rhetorical question that showed how clueless she and her colleagues can be on the issue.
"What makes people think that six people chosen at random would have more ethics, more intelligence, more judgment than we have?" asked Rep. Louise Slaughter (D., N.Y.) during a House committee meeting.
They continue by answering it for her.
Let us count the ways, congresswoman.
1. Former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R., Calif.), who pleaded guilty in November 2005 to bribery and tax-evasion charges.
2. Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R., Texas), facing trial on a money-laundering charge.
3. Rep. John Doolittle (R., Calif.), under federal investigation for his relationship to jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
4. Rep. Tom Feeney (R., Fla.), also being investigated by the FBI for his dealings with Abramoff.
5. Rep. William Jefferson (D., La.), who was indicted in June on 16 charges, including fraud, soliciting bribes and racketeering after federal agents found $90,000 in his freezer.
6. Former Rep. Bob Ney (R., Ohio), who's serving a prison term for accepting bribes from Abramoff and others.
7. Rep. Rick Renzi (R., Ariz.), indicted last month on 35 counts of wire fraud, money laundering and extortion.
Want to keep counting? Numbers eight through 12 are former congressional aides who pleaded guilty to crimes involving some of the cases listed above.
