House Ethics Committee, despite Abramoff fallout, still investigating Democrat over Gingrich

RAW STORY
Published: Friday March 31, 2006

After the House ethics committee took limited action at the conclusion of a six-hour meeting Thursday, ranking member Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.) issued a statement highly critical of the panel. Ethics members announced only the continuation of an investigative subcommittee probing Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), initially established in 2004, ROLL CALL reported late Thursday.

McDermott has been ordered to pay $700,000 in damages and legal fees to now Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) after accepting a tape from a Florida couple that contained a recording of a phone conversation among GOP leaders in 1996 that discussed how to deal with ethics charges chasing then-Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA).

Mollohan, who is unable to say much because of the rules governing the Ethics Committee, released a statement rebuking the process for failing to do its job. Following is the text of Mollohan's statement, as released to ROLL CALL.

In order for the House ethics process to have credibility, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct must take action whenever there are credible allegations that House rules or standards of conduct have been violated.

Where the alleged violations are serious, and relevant information cannot be obtained other than through exercise of the subpoena power, the Committee must establish an investigative subcommittee to conduct a formal investigation.

Today the Committee met for six hours to consider potential investigative matters, and the sole action that the Committee agreed to take was to continue an investigation that was initiated in 2004, at the end of the last Congress. This result falls far short of the Committee's obligations in the current circumstances.

In an effort to reconcile my right under House rules to issue public statements on matters before the Committee with the general need for confidentiality in the conduct of Committee business, I will not, at this time, have further comment on today's Committee meeting. Nevertheless, it continues to be very important that all Committee members act to ensure that the Committee fulfills its obligations to enforce the rules and standards of conduct of the House of Representatives.

FULL STORY HERE