Academic

THE SENATE ETHICS COMMITTEE: A black hole where investigations go to die. The committee never to?

By Glenn Reynolds

THE SENATE ETHICS COMMITTEE: A black hole where investigations go to die.

The committee never took action in the case of former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), despite abundant evidence that an oil contractor rebuilt his house and gave him other gifts never reported on his financial disclosure forms. The overturning of Stevens? guilty verdict ? owing to prosecutorial misconduct ? does not erase the Ethics Committee?s dismal failure to police what seems an obvious violation of Senate rules.

More than a year ago, the committee got a complaint from CREW concerning unusually favorable mortgage terms accorded Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) by the now-defunct Countrywide Financial. Not a word has been heard about that probe.

Dodd is also the subject of a complaint, filed in April by yet another watchdog group, Judicial Watch, growing out of his purchase of ? and apparent profit on ? property in Ireland from the business partner of a person convicted of stock fraud for whom Dodd secured a pardon.

I’m not expecting much.

Full post as published by Instapundit.com on June 24, 2009 (boomark / email).