Politics

Cry Me A River

By Paul Blumenthal

Call the wahmbulance, some congressmen are complaining about being investigated.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) are organizing a working group to gut new ethics rules that created the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE). The OCE was created as a semi-independent investigative body that could sift through ethics complaints and decide which ones merited investigation or review by the House Ethics Committee.

The CBC is upset that the OCE may be investigating a trip taken by some CBC members to the Caribbean that may have violated House rules preventing lawmakers from going on travel sponsored by corporations.

According to The Hill, a source states, “We might need to revisit that law,” regarding the OCE. Another aide to a CBC member says, “In an environment where there?s allegations of clear criminality, investigating a trip to a Caribbean island is a bit odd … What?s the charge, that they spent too much time at the pool? That?s ridiculous.?

Well… What’s ridiculous is that this trip may have violated House rules and now you’re pretending like the investigation is about nothing but pool-side, pina colada sipping.

There are House rules that prevent lawmakers from going on travel sponsored by corporations. These rules were passed in the wake of the Abramoff scandal to prevent Scottish golfing trips and other outrages that had gone on for too long. The convention that CBC members were attending, according to photographs and independent accounts, contained banners of corporate sponsors and speeches by CBC members thanking corporate sponsors. That’s against the House rules.

While there might not be direct criminality involved, lawmakers can’t just violate the House rules. At least they shouldn’t be able to. And if you think that you should be able to, then please leave my city.

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