The GOP's ethics deficit

Daily Kos Staff

Monday January 03, 2005 · 3:15 PM PST

2005/01/03 · 15:15

DeLay's Republican cronies in the House are moving to eliminate ethics guidelines, making it harder for corrupt congressmen to get slaps on the wrist.

The response from watchdog groups has been bipartisan:

"All of this is designed to make one man truly above the law," said Melanie Sloan, of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said, "Tom DeLay is a poster boy for ethics problems in the House."

CREW skews left, while Judicial Watch skews right. Both are right.

There are issues that transcend partisanship, and notions of good government and ethical legislators are some of them.

The irony, of course, is that the GOP's takeover of the House was predicated in large part by stressing the ethical lapses of the then-Democratic majority.

So how do Republicans justify their retreat from good government and good ethics?

Added Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, a former committee member: "The rules benefit the aggressors who file complaints."

How many "aggressors" had filed complaints in the last seven years? None, until Rep. Chris Bell filed his complaint against DeLay (which yielded a steady stream of rebukes from the committee).

That's why the rules must be changed. To protect DeLay from his own corruption and greed.

Atrios has more:

So, what has the key ethics rule been used for? The WaPo explains:

It has been used to discipline members for taking bribes, fixing parking tickets and having sex with House pages.

So, the House Republicans support a rule change which will let them:

Take bribes!

Fix parking tickets!

Have sex with House pages!

(More on this previous post.)

The GOP's ethics deficit

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