Dems trip on own ethics policy
By Associated Press Writer By LARRY MARGASAK (The Associated Press)
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration and the new Congress are rapidly giving Republicans the same “culture of corruption” issue that Democrats used so effectively against the GOP before coming to power.
Democrats’ ethical issues are popping up at a dizzying pace, after less than two months of party control of both the White House and Congress. Freshman Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill. is only the latest embarrassment.The only consolation is timing: It’s about two years until the next congressional election, giving Democrats a chance to stop the bleeding in time.
Republicans know all about bad timing on ethics issues. Their scandals developed over a longer period. But they were hurt most by a scandal that broke shortly before the 2006 election.
It was revealed that then-Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., wrote suggestive notes to former teenage male pages, and several Republican lawmakers and officials failed to act when they learned of the situation.
The Democrats stepped up their campaign theme of a “culture of corruption,” and it resonated all the way to the voting precincts. Democrats then regained control of the House.
Senate Democrats were blindsided by Burris because they believed what he told them, that he was clean. Burris now acknowledges that he tried to raise money for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
“The story seems to be changing day by day,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Wednesday.
The political mess isn’t Burris’ conduct alone; it’s the pattern that has developed over the past few months.
• The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., is the subject of a House ethics investigation. It partly is focused on his fundraising practices for a college center in his name, his ownership financing of a resort property, and his financial disclosure reports.
• Federal agents raided two Pennsylvania defense contractors who were given millions of dollars in federal funding by Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.
• Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9 on federal charges, including allegations that he schemed to sell the Senate seat to the highest bidder.
• Tom Daschle, the former Senate majority leader from South Dakota, abandoned his bid to become health and human services secretary and the administration’s point man on reforming health care; and Nancy Killefer stepped down from a new position charged with eliminating inefficient government programs.
Both Daschle and Killefer had tax problems, and Daschle also faced potential conflicts of interest.
• Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was confirmed to his post after revealing he had tax troubles.
Senate Democrats now may be trapped in their own ethics system. Disciplinary action against a senator usually requires a long investigation by the Senate’s ethics committee.
A preliminary inquiry on Burris is under way, but with an ongoing criminal investigations, the committee probably will postpone any action to avoid interference.
