WP: Ethics Truce Frays in House (ethics abuses by House GOP leaders)

[diamond14]

Ethics Truce Frays in House
Democrats Torn Over Investigating GOP

By Charles Babington and Dan Morgan
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, March 17, 2004; Page A01


A seven-year ethics truce between congressional Republicans and Democrats has begun to fray under the weight of mounting alleged abuses by House GOP leaders and tensions among Democrats over how aggressively to pursue the matters.

Some Democrats and outside groups think the reported wrongdoings have reached a critical mass that cries out for investigations and reforms. Democratic leaders, however, are wary of breaking the long cease-fire that has protected both parties from the types of ethics charges and countercharges that roiled Congress and toppled two speakers in the 1980s and '90s.

The recent allegations touch top lawmakers, including House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and several committee chairmen. They involve suggestions of bribery and threats on the House floor, illegal use of campaign funds, misuse of a federal agency for political purposes, conflicts of interest, and strong-arm tactics against lobbyists and campaign contributors.

"Rather than change the regime and create a rigorous ethics system as promised, Republicans over the last 10 years have eviscerated the ethics process," said Tom Fitton, president of one of the groups, the conservative Judicial Watch.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64604-2004Mar16.html

[stepnw1f]

1. I Want A Clean Government

Do it!!!

[trotsky]

2. You can't make a "gentlemen's agreement" unless both parties are gentlemen

Duh!

[placton]

3. So, the Dems feel they will suffer how? (N/T)

[msmcghee]

4. I'm no political whiz kid.

In fact, at 62 I'm not much of any kind of kid . . but it seems that when the pukes have a locked-in majority due to their phony redistricting and have control of the floor and all business that the house would conduct, that only the Dems might get hurt by this - and the pukes could flagrantly do whatever they wished.

Of course, that's what they're doing now so what's to lose?

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. Because the dem house could use some clean-up also.

Cronyism has got to go in both parties.

[librechik]

6. no, I like Bribes and threats on the floor of the House during votes

and there ought to be more open gay sex and freebasing as well.

<sarcasm off>

wha, are they kidding?

Arrest those bums and stop them from killing our democracy please!