Redstate

By California Yankee Posted in Democrats — Comments (5) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Speaker-to-be Pelosi released a statement yesterday committing the Democrats to ethics reform as "the first order of business" in the 110th Congress.

This from the Democratic leader who forgot about the culture of corruption long enough to endorse John Murtha, called one of the most unethical members of Congress by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, to be Majority Leader.

Read on.

Pelosi is likely to find real reform to be easier said than done. Just two days ago, the Wall Street Journal (Subscription Required) reported that while the Democrats are promising big changes in lobbying rules, they are divided over whether to create an outside investigative office to review ethics complaints or leave enforcement to members

An independent office of Public Integrity that would vet Senate ethics complaints and investigate those it deemed serious was proposed earlier this year by now "Independent Democratic" Senator Lieberman and Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins. That proposal was soundly rejected by the Senate in a 70 to 30 bipartisan landslide. Among those opposing such an independent office was incoming Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Democratic leaders are discussing new ethics rules that include bans on gifts and meals from lobbyists and lobbying organizations, and more frequent disclosure reports:

Former members who become registered lobbyists would be prohibited from seeking help on legislation from their congressional colleagues for two years and denied access to the House and Senate floors. Today, lawmakers-turned-lobbyists can mingle with their former colleagues inside the chambers during debates and votes.

The proposed packages in both the House and Senate would curtail, if not ban, travel paid for by lobbyists and organizations that lobby. House leaders say they would prohibit lawmakers from using corporate planes for official travel. Both chambers are expected to require members to identify hometown projects they insert into spending bills.

House and Senate leaders are mulling creating an office to monitor lobbyists' disclosure reports, or enhancing the powers of existing offices to take on that job.

The Wall Street Journal reports that earlier this year Pelosi proposed enhancing the powers of Congress's inspector general's office to handle lobbyists disclosure reports, but wasn't willing to extend that office's jurisdiction to ethics allegations against members of Congress. Pelosi is now considering backing the idea of a stronger independent office. Connecticut Republican Christopher Shays and Massachusetts Democrat Marty Meehan are considering an independent review if Pelosi doesn't include it in her ethics-overhaul agenda.

An "independent office" isn't any more likely to control ethics than the Federal Election Commission has been able to control campaign funding.