Ethics Panel Probes Conyers’ Office

[NewJerseyDem]

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/49_107/news/5117-1.html (subscription required)

The House ethics committee has begun an informal probe into whether Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and his aides improperly conducted partisan political activities out of his Detroit office during 2002 and 2003, according to sources close to the committee.

This comes as Ray Plowden, the longtime head of Conyers’ district office, has quietly left the veteran Democrat’s staff and is working for a nonprofit organization in Detroit. Conyers is running the district office himself at this time, one aide said.

The Conyers investigation is one of four “informal” probes being undertaken currently by the ethics committee, said the sources. The others involve Reps. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) and Karen McCarthy (D-Mo.) and were initiated by the committee on its own authority following news reports about the lawmakers. A fifth probe relating to Rep. Nick Smith (R-Mich.) is now a full-blown investigation, and an investigative subcommittee of the ethics panel has been appointed to look into this case.

The allegations regarding Conyers were first reported by the Detroit Free Press in late November. The newspaper stated that members of Conyers’ staff, including an employee of the House Judiciary Committee, engaged in partisan campaign activities on government time, and operated out of the 20-term lawmaker’s district office.

[freetobegay]

1. Ethics panel in U.S. Congress

Now theres an oxymoron!

[The Magistrate]

2. Is There, Sir

Any word on investigation of DeLay's bribery on the house floor of wavering Republicans over the Medicare bill, better known as the Drug Coys. Subsidy Act of '04?

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[NewJerseyDem]

3. There is an official investigation about that

The Conyers investigation along with a few other issues are unofficial. However, the medicare bribery case has caused a special committee to be established that has Mike Doyle (D-PA), Kenny Hulshof (R-MO), William Delahunt (D-MA), and John Shadegg (R-AZ) as members. The committee has the power to subpoena and get testimony from witnesses. It will finish its investigation and send a report to the full Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to decide what to do next.

Also, the FBI has some type of investigation going on but to what extent is unkown.

[The Magistrate]

5. That Is Good To Hear, Sir

Thank you.

That matter bothers me a good deal more than the sort of thing alleged against Rep. Conyers.

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[Catt03]

4. Who checks the "ethics police"

Judicial Watch and Common Cause have some info on this.
http://www.commoncause.org/news/default.cfm?ArtID=286

Also:

A coalition of eight good-government organizations, including Common Cause and Judicial Watch, is now championing the restoration of ethics oversight. The group maintains that the lack of oversight has created an ''ethics-free zone'' in the House.

The group is pressuring the House for three measures. First, it wants to restore the ability of citizens to file ethics complaints against House members. While the U.S. Senate allows citizens to file ethics complaints against senators, the House ended the practice in 1997. House leadership defends its rule, saying that the mere implication of an ethical breach could end a politician's career. There is no evidence to back up that assertion. Frivolous charges are common in politics, but U.S. voters have demonstrated great judgment on election day in determining what is frivolous and what is not.




http://www.tennessean.com/opinion/archives/04/03/48840339.shtml

[JohnLocke]

6. Kick (nt).

[Democat]

7. What about Bush using the White House for partisan politics?

You don't need an investigation for that, just turn on the TV.

Time to impeach?

[mulethree]

8. seems kind of unethical to leak "informal probes" n/t