Don't forget scandal (Abramoff) that led to creation of the (modern) Office of Congressional Ethics

[bigtree]

Matthew Chapman ?@fawfulfan 7h7 hours ago
If you don't, here's a primer on the scandal that led to the creation of the modern Office of Congressional Ethics: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Abramoff_Indian_lobbying_scandal …


The Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal was a United States political scandal first exposed in 2005 relating to the work performed by political lobbyists Jack Abramoff, Ralph E. Reed, Jr., Grover Norquist and Michael Scanlon on Native American casino gambling interests for an estimated $85 million in fees. Abramoff and Scanlon grossly overbilled their clients, secretly splitting the multimillion-dollar profits. In one case, they were secretly orchestrating lobbying against their own clients in order to force them to pay for lobbying services.

In the course of the scheme, the lobbyists were accused of illegally giving gifts and making campaign donations to legislators in return for votes or support of legislation. Representative Bob Ney (R-OH) and two aides to Tom DeLay (R-TX) was directly implicated; other politicians had various ties.

Scanlon and Abramoff both pleaded guilty to a variety of charges related to the scheme.

On January 3, 2006, Abramoff pleaded guilty to three felony counts—conspiracy, fraud, and tax evasion—involving charges stemming principally from his lobbying activities in Washington on behalf of Native American tribes. In addition, Abramoff and other defendants must make restitution of at least $25 million that was defrauded from clients, most notably the Native American tribes. Further, Abramoff owes the Internal Revenue Service $1.7 million as a result of his guilty plea to the tax evasion charge.

On May 8, 2006, Neil Volz, former chief of staff to Representative Bob Ney (R-Ohio), staff director of the House Administration Committee, and later part of Team Abramoff, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, including wire fraud and violating House rules, charges stemming from his work both for Ney and for Greenberg Traurig.

On March 23, 2007 former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior J. Steven Griles pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in the Senate investigation of the Abramoff scandal, the top Bush administration official to do so.

On November 25, 2005, the Wall Street Journal reported the expansion of the investigation to four members of Congress: in addition to Ney and DeLay, the report includes Rep. John Doolittle (R., Calif.) and Sen. Conrad Burns (R., Mont.) On December 2, 2005, the New York Times reported that federal prosecutors were considering a plea bargain arrangement that would give Abramoff some consideration if he provided evidence that would implicate members of Congress and their senior staffers in receiving job offers in return for legislative favors.

The guilty pleas signed by Abramoff in early January 2006 state that he bribed public officials. One of the cases of bribery described in detail involves a person identified as "Representative #1," who was reported by the Washington Post to be Representative Bob Ney (R-OH). Ney's spokesman confirmed that Ney was the representative identified, but denied any improper influence. The agreement also details Abramoff's practice of hiring former congressional staffers. Abramoff used these persons' influence to lobby their former Congressional employers, in violation of a one-year federal ban on such lobbying.

After Abramoff's guilty plea, the federal government shifted its investigation in January 2006 to focus on the lobbying firm Alexander Strategy Group, founded by a "close friend of DeLay's and his former chief of staff..."

read more: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Abramoff_Indian_lobbying_scandal

related:

ThinkProgress ?@thinkprogress 9h9 hours ago
House Republicans secretly vote to gut Office of Congressional Ethics http://thkpr.gs/f6eae60baea4

NPR Politics ?@nprpolitics 10h10 hours ago
House GOP Votes To Strip Independence From Congressional Ethics Office https://t.co/5XocK5iiMw

[kentuck]

1. Why?

Would they come up with such a stupid idea at this time??

[Vinca]

2. Think for a second. They've got the master of all con artists in charge of the whole shebang.

If ever there was a time to pile up loot in an offshore bank account . . . or, if horny, grab all the lady parts you want in the staff elevator.

[bigtree]

3. Conflict with ethics rules? Change them.

Last edited Tue Jan 3, 2017, 09:26 AM - Edit history (1)

It shows how little they fear their constituents, gambling on the hope voters don't care.

[Raster]

15. You have hit the nail head-on!

They do not fear their constituents, and believe that most voters do not care, and if they do care, they are prepared baffle them with their patriotic bullshit.

[Augiedog]

4. Now we can go back to the good old days of handling out checks on the house floor while voting

[TNNurse]

5. So the country will be destroyed by terrorists

I did not realize it would be home grown ones in the government.

[CousinIT]

7. The terrorists are running the place

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028425051

[lastlib]

6. It's reminiscent of a scene from The Life/Times of Judge Roy Bean:

A lawyer shows Judge Bean an open law book that tells why he's right; Bean looks at it and says, "You're right." Then he calmly rips the page out of the book and says, "That's a bad law--I just repealed it."

[DFW]

8. It seems to me the Republicans didn't forget it at all

Which is precisely why they want the Ethics Office neutered and anesthetized.

[ffr]

14. And clear as day, this is their first course of action, tearing down the barriers to their agenda

SWAMP CROOKS!

LOCK THEM UP!

[Roy Rolling]

9. "Ethics? We got 'em."

"...and they're all bad."
----House Republicans

(Quotes for comedic purposes only)

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

10. and Pelosi became speaker after a pledge to "drain the swamp"

(contrary to what the media and the Dilbert guy tell you, Trump didn't invent the phrase)

[bigtree]

16. yep, good catch

Pelosi Says She Would Drain GOP 'Swamp'
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/06/AR2006100600056.html

Craig Caplan ?@CraigCaplan 13h13 hours ago
Office of Congressional Ethics plan was"fair,effective & helped us drain the swamp"-@nancypelosi in '08 House debate https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4640545/speaker-house-nancy-pelosi-creating-office-congressional-ethics-helped-us-drain-swamp …

[Seedersandleechers]

11. The OCE and it's form has been around since at least 1967

The U.S. House Committee on Ethics, created in 1967, is unique. The Committee is the only standing committee of the House whose membership is evenly divided between each political party. The Committee includes five members of each party. Also, unlike other committees, the day-to-day work of the Committee on Ethics is conducted by a staff that is nonpartisan by rule.

Under House rules, the Committee has the jurisdiction to administer travel, gift, financial disclosure, outside income, and other regulations; advise members and staff; issue advisory opinions and investigate potential ethics violations. Ethics rules and regulations have grown substantially since the 1960s.

Questions about ethical conduct and the enforcement of ethics rules have been around since the establishment of the first Congress. In 1798, Representative Matthew Lyon of Vermont spat on Representative Roger Griswold of Connecticut during a vote. The entire House heard evidence in the case of “disorderly behavior” and a motion to expel Lyon fell two votes short of the two-thirds majority needed.

The Constitution authorizes the House to discipline its members. However, the House had no uniform or consistent mechanism for self-discipline until the 1960s. Some allegations of misconduct were investigated in an ad hoc manner by special committees, and some issues went directly to the floor of the House.

https://ethics.house.gov/about/committee-history

[dlk]

12. The Republican Party Cheats To Win and Gets Away With It

It appears the Republican Party has become the party of no conscience, no morals and no ethics. They consistently cheat to win and get away with it, using scorched-earth tactics and routinely going to Defcon 1, if that's what it takes. Over time, they are dismantling our democracy, bit by bit.

[mopinko]

13. aahhhh jack abramoff. there is a name i thought i would hear more about

he was gonna sing like a little canary he said.
funny how things work out when you are a republican.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

17. K&R nt