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Today reform groups urged a House Judiciary subcommittee to hold hearings on the “Clean Up Government Act of 2011” (H.R. 2572), legislation that would provide critically needed amendments to the federal criminal statutes to hold public officials accountable for a broad range of corrupt practices. ...
The American Bar Association’s (ABA) House of Delegates yesterday passed a resolution urging the Congress to amend and strengthen the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA). The resolution, which passed without opposition, urges a narrowing of the reporting threshold (currently 20%), requiring disclosure...
It is a sad commentary that almost one third of the House followed the lead of Rep. Mel Watt (D-MC) and voted to eviscerate the budget of the only functioning element of the House ethics process. The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) should be strengthened, not weakened and no further proof of...
Today reform groups urged every Member of the House of Representatives to vote down an amendment to the Congressional budget bill that would slash the budget for the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) by 40 percent ($619,000). In a letter the groups praised the work of the OCE and condemned the...
Today reform groups urged the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Ethics Committee to engage an outside counsel to complete the long-delayed investigation of Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA). The groups also praised the work of the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) and urged an expansion...
Today, a coalition of reform groups urged the House ethics committee to resume work on the long-pending investigation of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and to provide a public accounting of the status of the case.
No public notice of the status of the case has been provided since the abrupt and...
The allegations unveiled in the indictment against former Senator John Edwards regarding the conduct of his Presidential campaign are deeply disturbing. The alleged payments of “hush money” raise the specter of political influence-peddling in the form of “gifts” to candidates in high-stakes...
Senator John Ensign is right to resign. His conduct was reprehensible. The problem, of course, is that these shenanigans were not simply Senator Ensign’s private affairs, but were entangled in his official position and the operations of his Senate office and included apparent violations of...
Today, the Campaign Legal Center joined with a coalition of reform groups to urge the House ethics committee to resume its work on the pending investigation of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and provide the public with an accounting of the status of the case.
The case has been pending for more than two...
Today's sentencing of disgraced former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) is a resounding victory for those who want to see public officials held accountable for their misdeeds. His conviction and sentencing proves that he was not a victim of the "criminalization of politics" as he claimed in August...
We commend Speaker-designee John Boehner (R-OH) for including the continuation of the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) in the draft of the operating rules for the House for the 112th Congress. The OCE has faced opposition and criticism from Members from both parties because it has brought a...
Today reform groups called on Speaker-designee John Boehner (R-OH) to preserve and strengthen the strong new rules adopted by the House in 2007, including the creation of the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE). The new rules were instituted in response to a series of high-profile scandals...
Today, Representative Charles Rangel was found guilty of hubris. Hubris in a powerful public official is especially damaging because it sends a message that a so-called public servant feels he is above the law. Despite, or perhaps even because of, a long and distinguished career as a public...
Today’s verdict was an important victory for our democracy. It proves that even highly placed government officials are accountable for their violations of law. Our campaign finance laws are important to our system of self-government, and laundering money in an attempt to evade those laws...
As Staff Director of the Office of Congressional Ethics, Leo Wise served the House with distinction and deserves great credit for putting the OCE on the right track from the beginning. His unwavering commitment to fair and impartial investigations brought new credibility to an ethics process in...
Reform groups today urged Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) to publicly commit to stand behind the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) in the face of numerous threats to dismantle or disempower the Office. In the letters, the groups expressed their...
The Statement of Alleged Violations issued by the subcommittee of the House Standards of Official Conduct Committee presents a disturbing pattern of behavior. Rep. Rangel deserves the opportunity to present his case in these proceedings, but he has already acknowledged conduct that supports many...
In a letter sent today, a coalition of reform groups urged Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to stand behind the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) against the latest challenge by Members seeking to undermine the OCE. The groups expressed their continued support of the OCE which has helped to...