#Office of Congressional Ethics

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

The House of Representatives on Monday passed a new set of rules to govern the chamber that will severely weaken the ability of the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) to investigate members of Congress for potential wrongdoing.

"I think it's fantastic," Republican Rep. George Santos of New York said of the rules package, which passed by a 220-213 margin, in a brief interview with Insider at the Capitol on Monday.

The changes come just days after Santos — who was revealed to have lied about much of his background, is under investigation in multiple countries, and faces at least two OCE complaints related to his financial disclosures — was sworn into Congress.

"The proposed rules package severely curtails the ability of OCE to do the job it exists to do," a constellation of good-government groups wrote in a letter published on January 4.

The Office of Congressional Ethics, first established in 2008, is a quasi-independent body tasked with investigating allegations of misconduct against members of Congress. It then makes a determination as to whether those allegations are worth investigating further, at which point it makes a referral to the House Ethics Committee, which is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats.

But the rules package for the 118th Congress, put forward by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, re-imposes eight-year term limits for the OCE's board members, made up of former members of Congress, that were originally laid out when the office was established in 2008 and later extended in subsequent congresses.

The practical effect of that will be the immediate removal of three of four Democratic-appointed board members: former Reps. Mike Barnes, Belinda Pinckney, and Karan English. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries can appoint their replacements, but that could take months.

Furthermore, the rules prevent the office from hiring new staff after one month and require four board members to sign off on any staffing decision. That means the office — which currently has just one investigative counsel on staff and is actively seeking to hire two more — likely won't have enough time to hire new staff, and will not be able to fill any vacancies that might occur in the next two years.

Taken together, the rules will make it extraordinarily difficult for the body — which otherwise operates independently of Congress and has generally been more effective at investigating wrong-doing than self-policing Ethics Committee in the House or Senate — will not have the necessary resources it needs to carry out its work.

That means less ability to investigate wrongdoing, and more time needed to carry out investigations.

But Santos, who has otherwise declined to comment on the myriad scandals facing him, disagreed with the idea that the office would be weakened by the rules.

"I think it just gives them more power," he said. He added that the newly-imposed rules wouldn't "allow people to sit there without term limits," apparently referring to the board members. "I believe in term limits."

He also brushed off the staffing restrictions, saying it would allow "new members of the board to pick their discretionary members" without acknowledging that all of this must happen in just 30 days.

"It's a good thing for transparency, it's a good thing for Americans," said Santos. "Renewal!"

A 'DISTURBING DEVELOPMENT'

House Democrats also condemned the changes in interviews with Insider at the Capitol on Monday.

"I don't understand how anyone interprets the results of the midterms to say we need less ethics standards," said Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California. "I have a lot of respect for the Office of Congressional Ethics. I think they've operated in a way that is fair, bipartisan, fact-based, and they there's no justification for doing this."

Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia — who told Insider that the rules package would render OCE a "toothless body in a forgotten hallway of the Capitol complex" in a statement — didn't rule out seeking to fix it via legislation in the future.

The OCE has allowed for public accountability of several members of Congress during the last two years.

The body made referrals for several Republicans related to STOCK Act violations, led to significant fines for former Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina for improperly promoting a cryptocurrency, and referred a case against Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to the House committee.

Ocasio-Cortez also condemned the rules changes, saying it was a "disturbing development" while declining to comment on her own ethics case — though she alluded to "spurious claims" filed against Democrats.

"It does call into question if they're just going to remove it every time they're in the majority," said Ocasio-Cortez.

McCarthy's office did not immediately respond to a detailed set of questions from Insider seeking an explanation of the proposed changes.

In 2017, House Republicans voted in conference to subsume the office under the House Ethics Committee, effectively neutering it. But they reversed course when President Donald Trump tweeted his opposition.

[uboat53]

I've been paying attention and, from what I can tell, here is what House Republicans have accomplished in the last week since coming to Washington:

Elected a Speaker of the House after making extraordinary concessions to their 20 most extreme members.

Gutted the Office of Congressional Ethics.

Passed a bill to rescind the additional funding given the IRS last year. A bill that will go nowhere in the Senate.

No word yet on whether they have any plans to tackle inflation, crime, or gas prices. You know, the things they actually talked about when they were running for office.

[meandmybigmouth]

LMAO! DID IT EVER WORK ANYWAY?

[garudabluffs]

Who Cares About Ethics?

Ask yourself why gutting the Office of Congressional Ethics was the first thing Republicans did when they took over Congress…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqmqy5K1VVI 28 Comments

[filosofablogger]

The New Rules

Well, yesterday was the first actual day of business for the House of Representatives, after their week of game-playing and juvenile tactics.  I spent many years of my career in management positions and while I always tried to be fair, I didn’t put up with any b.s. and expected staff members to work as a team to get the job done, whatever it took.  Today, we are all in management positions in a…

[joe-england]

Let's talk about Republican priorities and ethics....

[gwydionmisha]

The Republican War on Ethics continues.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Joan McCarter at Daily Kos:

The U.S. Supreme Court heard Donald Trump’s immunity claim in his federal criminal trial for trying to overturn the 2020 election Thursday, and the conservative majority is likely going to give Donald Trump what he wants: a delay of the trial until after the election. If Trump wins again, the conservatives have essentially signaled that they would be open to blanket immunity for him against any future criminal charges.   The fact that Supreme Court justices are suggesting that the president is above the law proves why the court must be reformed. Four of the justices—Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch—even went so far as to suggest that special counsel Jack Smith’s entire prosecution is unconstitutional, and they reinforced Trump’s argument that the president is immune. Kavanaugh even told Michael Dreeben, a lawyer from Smith’s office, that it’s a “serious constitutional question whether a criminal statute can apply to the president’s criminal acts.”

That would be the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card for the chief executive, rubber stamped by the highest court of the land. It’s worth remembering that Thomas refused to recuse himself from this—and most of the Trump election interference cases—despite the fact that his wife, Ginni Thomas, was deeply involved in Trump’s coup attempt. When she testified to the Jan. 6 special congressional committee, she maintained that the election was stolen.  His failure to recuse himself comes after a new ethics code has supposedly been enforced, saying that “a Justice should disqualify himself or herself in a proceeding in which the Justice’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned, that is, where an unbiased and reasonable person who is aware of all relevant circumstances would doubt that the Justice could fairly discharge his or her duties.” So much for that suggestion from Chief Justice John Roberts. His code has no teeth, which is yet another reason why ethics reform—and indeed court reform and expansion—is essential. 

Joan McCarter writes in Daily Kos that the Trump v. United States "immunity" case is a good reason to reform and expand SCOTUS.

[trumpamerica]

Walz was only enrolled at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota until 2004 but said until 2011 that he was close to getting his doctorate

Walz Congressional Website Bio: Walz completed his master's degree in educational leadership in 2001 and is nearly finished with his doctorate at St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota. His approach to teaching has gained him recognition as the 2002 Minnesota Ethics in Education award winner, 2003 Mankato Teacher of the Year, and the 2003 Minnesota Teacher of Excellence as well as being named the Outstanding Young Nebraskan by the Nebraska Junior Chamber of Commerce for his service in the education, military, and small business communities.

When Walz ran for Congress in 2006, roughly two years after his last recorded year in the St. Mary’s doctoral program, he portrayed himself on the campaign trail and in Congress as an active student "nearly finished" with his Ph.D. A 2006 voter guide published by the Minnesota Star Tribune indicated that Walz’s Ph.D. was "in progress."

[mightyflamethrower]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a bizarre coincidence, Senator John Fetterman has suddenly become more conservative after his brain resumed working.

Previously a die-hard liberal, Fetterman has stunned audiences by staking out a variety of conservative positions over the past several weeks, at the same time as his brain regained the ability to speak in sentences. With Fetterman's cognition continually improving, conservatives have sat dumbfounded as they found themselves nodding along with the Democrat.

"I don't know if I should be worried, but Fetterman sounds like he's speaking coherently and making valid arguments," said local conservative John Rogers as he watched the Senator on television. "I should probably go check my blood pressure to make sure I'm not the one stroking out."

Fetterman initially surprised constituents with his support of Israel, hanging posters in his office of every Israeli being held hostage by Hamas. "The moment Fetterman regained the ability to form a logical train of thought, he instantly became the voice of reason in the Democratic Party," said pundit Andrew Donaldson. "Now he's out there calling for Congressional ethics rules to be applied equally to Democrats and Republicans? He's calling for a ban on China buying up farmland? I mean it's not much, but so far a partially functional Jon Fetterman is the most rational guy on that side of the aisle."

At publishing time, Fetterman had sadly suffered another stroke and become an imbecilic liberal again.

[kp777]

By Olivia Rosane

Common Dreams

June 29, 2024

"I plan to introduce legislation to protect the government's policymaking ability that existed under Chevron that has worked for the last 40 years," Sen. Ed Markey said.

Following the Supreme Court's ruling on Friday overturning the so-called Chevron doctrine—which instructed courts to defer to federal agencies' reasonable interpretations of laws passed by Congress as they regulate everything from food safety to labor rights to climate pollution—progressive lawmakers vowed to take action to protect the power of these agencies to shield the public from toxic chemicals and unscrupulous employers.

Legislators expressed concerns about the impacts of the court's 6-3 ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce, which ended a 40-year precedent established by Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council in 1984.

"Now, with this ill-advised decision, judges must no longer defer to the decisions about Americans' health, safety, and welfare made by agencies with technical and scientific expertise in their fields," Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said in a statement. "MAGA extremist Republicans and their big business cronies are rejoicing as they look forward to creating a regulatory black hole that destroys fundamental protections for every American in this country."

"This unhinged Supreme Court needs to stop legislating from the bench, and we must pass sweeping reform to hold them accountable."

"I plan to introduce legislation to protect the government's policymaking ability that existed under Chevron that has worked for the last 40 years," Markey said.

Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) called the ruling "dangerous" and urged Congress to "immediately pass" the Stop Corporate Capture Act, which she introduced in March 2023.

In a statement Friday, Jayapal said the act was "the only bill that codifies Chevron deference, strengthens the federal-agency rulemaking process, and ensures that rulemaking is guided by the public interest—not what's good for wealthy corporations."

The act would codify Chevron by providing "statutory authority for the judicial principle that requires courts to defer to an agency's reasonable or permissible interpretation of a federal law when the law is silent or ambiguous."

In addition, it would:

Require anyone submitting a study as part of a comment period on a regulation to disclose who funded it;

Only allow federal agencies to take part in the negotiated rulemaking process;

Create an Office of the Public Advocate to increase public participation in the process of crafting regulations;

Make public companies that knowingly lie in the comment period on a proposed regulation liable for a fine of at least $250,000 for a first offense and at least $1 million for a second; and

Empower agencies to reissue rules that were rescinded under the Congressional Review Act.

The Coalition for Sensible Safeguards, a group of more than 160 organizations mobilizing for stronger public protections, also called on Congress to pass the Stop Corporate Capture Act.

"The bill is a comprehensive blueprint for modernizing, improving, and strengthening the regulatory system to better protect the public," the coalition wrote in response to Friday's ruling. "It would ensure greater public input into regulatory decisions, promote scientific integrity, and restore our government's ability to deliver results for workers, consumers, public health, and our environment."

Jayapal also called on Congress to "enact sweeping oversight measures to rein in corruption and billionaire influence at the Supreme Court, whose far-right extremist majority routinely flouts basic ethics, throws out precedent, and legislates from the bench to benefit the wealthiest and most powerful."

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) similarly recommended congressional action to address court corruption. In a statement, she called the decision "a power grab for the corrupt Supreme Court who continues to do the bidding of greedy corporations."

"The MAGA Court just overruled 40 years of precedent that empowered federal agencies to hold powerful corporations accountable, protect our workplaces and public health, and ensure that we have clean water and air," Tlaib continued. "This unhinged Supreme Court needs to stop legislating from the bench, and we must pass sweeping reform to hold them accountable."

In the meantime, the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards said that the ruling did not strip regulatory bodies of their authority to pass new rules to protect the public and the environment.

"This decision is a gift to big corporations, making it easier for them to challenge rules to ensure clean air and water, safe workplace and products, and fair commercial and financial practices," said Public Citizen president and coalition co-chair Robert Weissman. "But the decision is no excuse for regulators to stop doing their jobs. They must continue to follow the law and uphold their missions to protect consumers, workers, and our environment."

[mariacallous]

After being ousted from the House of Representatives last week, ex-congressperson George Santos has officially joined Cameo, the platform famous for custom messages from celebrities and influencers.

Though Santos has not yet posted anything to his Cameo profile, it advertises a selection of personally recorded pep talks, “gossip,” roasts, and advice messages from Santos himself. These video messages, all promised to be delivered within 24 hours of an order, were initially priced at $75, but the cost has since increased to $200.

A former Santos staffer confirmed to WIRED today that the profile was real, and it is now linked on the former representative’s personal X account. Cameo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After winning his Long Island congressional election last year, Santos encountered problems when the North Shore Leader and The New York Times reported that he had allegedly lied about his finances and much of his personal background, including where he went to college and the claim that he had worked for Goldman Sachs. More absurd lies were uncovered, involving claims that his mother had died as a result of 9/11 (she didn’t) and that Santos was the star of Baruch College’s volleyball team (he wasn’t, and he didn’t attend Baruch).

In May, Santos was charged on multiple federal counts of money laundering, identity theft, and theft of public funds. He is set to face trial next September.

Despite these charges, Santos wasn’t expelled until after the House Ethics Committee finished its own investigation in November and claimed that he had misused thousands of dollars in campaign donations. The report said that Santos spent $50,000 in campaign funds to pay off personal debts and made other unlawful purchases, like subscribing to creators on OnlyFans. Representative Max Miller (R-Ohio) has also accused Santos of defrauding him and his mother by charging their personal credit cards.

Santos isn’t the first politician to join the ranks of Chuck Norris, Tay Zonday, and Brian Baumgartner (of The Office fame) on Cameo: Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin and political consultant Roger Stone have their own profiles, both touting nearly five star ratings.

The Biden campaign also experimented with Cameo in the past. In 2020, the campaign partnered with the platform to allow participating celebrities, like Andy Cohen, Mandy Moore, and Melissa Etheridge, to earmark portions of their earnings as donations, according to The Verge.

Until Santos goes to trial, it’s impossible to know whether his donors will ever claw back the money allegedly stolen from them. But unlike Santos’ reported donor fraud, Cameo has a money-back guarantee for scams.

[taylorscottbarnett]

Rep McCarthy just lost the vote for speaker of the House for a historic fifth straight time.

And he's losing votes as the process drags on.

He needs 218 votes. At last count he had 201.

Everyone who's voted against him are ultra-conservative "Freedom" Caucus members (95%) or denied the 2020 election results (over half of them did) or both.

14 of 15 of them voted to overturn valid election results in the Ellectroal College on Jan 6th, 2021.

The hilarious part is McCarthy has caved into EVERY single Freedom Caucus demand inorder to secure their votes. They are voting against him regardless out of spite.

They've even demanded --and he agreed-- that he cut the Office of Congressional Ethics. Imagine demanding to gut the Office responsible for investigating if you break the laws of your workplace.

But remember, there’s more important things in life than winning or losing — there’s making fun of Kevin McCarthy for losing. Watching the clown show that is the GOP stab him in the face for doing everything they asked.

Watching Keven McCarthy career (and respect for himself) go down in flames is the highlight of the results from 2022's elections.

[sleepyleftistdemon]

A lawyer for Hunter Biden has sent a letter to the Office of Congressional Ethics requesting action against Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene for her inappropriate actions at a congressional hearing last week.

Greene held up poster-size prints of Hunter Biden’s nude photos, which were taken off his laptop at a hearing on Wednesday. The Republican Congresswoman did so with no intention to shed light on a subject that the hearing was concerned with, but to continue the ridiculous Republican attacks on the President’s son.

[meandmybigmouth]

IN GOVERNMENT WE TRUST!