Daily Beast: How a Lawmaker Survived Getting Caught Red-Handed Doing an Industry’s Bidding
Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX) did not commit an ethical violation when he exempted car dealerships from the safety rules, the Ethics Committee unanimously decided on Tuesday. Though he might have benefitted financially from the amendment he introduced—the congressman’s own car dealership would have been impacted by the new safety guidelines—it was determined that he didn’t do so with his own bottom-line in mind.
“The problem is that Congress won't adequately police itself, and Members of Congress won't enforce the rules against one another (especially when it involves the majority party),” said Brendan Fischer, the director of the Campaign Legal Center’s federal and FEC reform program, a watchdog group that filed a complaint against Williams in 2015. “Just because the Ethics Committee failed to penalize Rep. Williams certainly doesn't mean he acted ethically.”