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Unofficial ‘Ethics Truce’ Affecting Washington

Politicians have long suffered from the pervasive public perception that some of them are self-serving, dishonest, or even outright unethical. As the adage goes, “power corrupts”, and cynics would say that to claim that a politician is corrupt is cliché. Jokes by late night comedians often point at politicians caught in seedy scandals, chastising them with comic ridicule for unscrupulous behavior. The last six months have provided plenty of material. Former House Majority Leader, Rep. Tom DeLay was arrested for money laundering and conspiracy charges. Former Rep. Randy ‘Duke’ Cunningham resigned after pleading guilty to bribery charges. In January, lobbyist Jack Abramoff plead guilty to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials. As part of his plea, he has agreed to provide evidence about members of Congress, including one name of particular interest to prosecutors; Rep. Robert W. Ney of Ohio.

[clockwise from top left] . 1.) Rep. Cynthia McKinney [4th Dist. GA-D] struck a Capitol Hill police officer, but has so far not been charged. 2.) Rep. John Conyers [14th Dist. MI-D] has been accused of using his tax-payer paid staff for personal errands and babysitting. 3.) Rep. ‘Duke’ Cunningham [former 50th Dist. CA-R] resigned after pleading guilty to taking over $2 million in bribes. 4.) Jack Abramoff [former lobbyist] has plead guilty to defrauding American Indian tribes and corruption of public officials using bribes. 6.) A mugshot of Rep. Tom DeLay [22nd Dist. TX-R]. Forced to resign his position as House Majority Leader, and has promised to resign from Congress before the November 2006 elections after being accused of illegal campaign finance violations.

To be certain, the Republicans are not the only ones participating in ethically questionable behavior. The Democratic ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, Rep. John Conyers has been accused of using his taxpayer paid staff for his personal errands, including babysitting, working on his political campaign, and even working on a political campaign for his wife. He has declined to comment regarding the matter.

Another Democrat in the media spotlight lately is Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who got into a scuffle with a Capitol Hill Policeman that tried to detain her for going around a metal detector. He did not recognizer her as a Congresswoman, and grabbed her arm. Allegedly, the Georgia Congresswoman pulled her arm away and punched the officer in the chest. She has insisted that the officer should have recognized her even though she was not wearing her special pin identifying her as a member of Congress, and accused him of racial profiling. Critics point out that even a member of Congress should respect the police, and assaulting an officer is never tolerated.

The recent surge in incidents involving ethically questionable acts by politicians has led some to wonder why Congress appears so unwilling to police itself. Why are the Democrats not complaining about the Republicans, and vice versa?

“That's because there's an ethics truce,” according to Melanie Sloan, head of a watchdog group called “Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington”. She went on to explain, “Both parties will deny this, but there is in fact a truce that's been in existence since 1998. And under the terms of the truce nobody will file a complaint against a member of the other party.”

A Gallup poll conducted between April 28-30, 2006 indicating that corruption in Congress matters to people from both parties, but more so to some than to others. Republicans were half as likely as Democrats or Independents to describe the corruption in Congress as ‘Very serious’, and more likely than Democrats or Independents to view the corruption in Congress as ‘Not serious’. http://www.gallup.com/

Ms. Sloan, who used to work for Congressman John Conyers, continued, “Since 1998, there has been an ethics 'truce' in the House of Representatives, under the terms of which no member will file an ethics complaint against another member. Because outsiders are prohibited from filing complaints with the House ethics committee, this has effectively shut down the ethics process.”

Former Democratic Congressman Chris Bell of Texas has backed up the claim saying “Everybody knew about it.” He went on saying, “There was never any formal agreement between the two parties, but it just came to be known that you don't file a complaint against anyone on our side and we won't file a complaint against anyone on your side.” It was Bell that pushed for an investigation of Tom DeLay’s campaign finance violations back in 2004. Some claim this ended the ‘truce’, but others say it continues to this day.

The truce purportedly began with the good intention of reducing the animosity in Washington between the two major parties following several ethical charges made against former Congressman Newt Gingrich. The rules were changed prohibiting anyone who was not a member of the House from filing an ethical complaint. With the tacit agreement in place for each party to not file complaints against the other, each Congressmen enjoy virtual immunity from their colleagues regarding any ethical offenses.

To many, the ultimate effect appears to be an end to accountability in Washington. According to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, 49 percent of respondents said most members of Congress are corrupt. A Washington Post-ABC poll found 58 percent believe that the Jack Abramoff scandal reflects “widespread corruption in Washington.” The question remains, what, if anything, are Americans going to do about it?

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