House ethics investigators have scrutinized the activities of more than 30 lawmakers and several aides in inquiries about issues including defense lobbying and corporate influence peddling, according to a confidential House ethics committee report prepared in July.
The report appears to have been inadvertently placed on a publicly accessible computer network, and was provided to WaPo by a source not connected to the congressional investigations.
According to WaPo, the ethics committee is one of the most secretive panels in Congress, and its members and staff members sign oaths not to disclose any activities related to its past or present investigations.
Shortly after 6 p.m. Thursday, the committee chairman, Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), interrupted a series of House votes to alert lawmakers about the breach. She cautioned that some of the panel's activities are preliminary and not a conclusive sign of inappropriate behavior.
"No inference should be made as to any member," she said.
House ethics investigators have scrutinized the activities of more than 30 lawmakers and several aides in inquiries about issues including defense lobbying and corporate influence peddling, according to a confidential House ethics committee report prepared in July, reports WaPo.
Will Congress really, really thoroughly investigate itself and act against the unethical? In this Congrees that would mean you would have to find some that are ethical in the first place. Hmmm. This is going to be interesting.
Wenzel,
ReplyDeleteExactly, it prompts two questions:
1.) Who will investigate the House Ethicists?
and
2.) Why the need for such secrecy/what place does secrecy have in an "open" and "honest" democratic government? How are the people to vote out scoundrels if the scoundrels hide themselves behind secrecy oaths?