Crooked John Conyers ( culture of corruption )

Michelle Malkin · ^ | December 31, 2006 | Michelle Malkin

[george76]

Business as usual...?

.

[george76]

John Conyers (D-Mich.) “accepted responsibility” for breaking House Ethics rules (and possibly some laws) for requiring “his official staffers to work on campaigns, babysit his children, and run personal errands.”

So what does the House Ethics Committee do to punish him? They quietly released a public statement, perfectly timed to minimize coverage in the press, that simply says Conyers ought to refrain from breaking ethics rules and laws in the future.

http://www.texasrainmaker.com/2006/12/30/incoming-judiciary-committee-chair-admits-breaking-ethics-rules/

[george76]

" not even a slap on the wrist.

And this for the man who will soon be Chairman of the House Committee that has jurisdiction over the civil and criminal justice system. "

[an amused spectator]

Why can't Malkin give the guy a break? I mean, he's only had 41 years to get acquainted with the rules governing this stuff, so why the rush to judgement by Michelle?

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Hey Malkin, the guy apologized, OK? < /S >

[george76]

Conyers will remain chairman of the Judiciary Committee in Nancy Pelosi's "most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history.”

[an amused spectator]

Yeah! Plus, Dennis Kucinich's daughter was part of the "journalist" team who soft-soaped the awful news for The Hill's latest on this issue, so Michelle's reliance on those tacky old Hill articles on the "problem" is just mean-spirited, to say the least.

[AmeriBrit]

Conyers gets a reward while the American voter gets kicked in the teeth......the RATS call that justice and corruption cleansing.

[RedEyeJack]

It appears crimes have been committed. The ethics committee cannot supersede a criminal investigation. Is the FBI/Justice investigating? Are the people who came forward in good faith being protected from retribution? They are, after all, "whistle blowers".

It is time for the Republicans to play hardball... The Democrats accuse them of everything and then perform criminal acts and, as Democrats, always get a "do over". This has to stop. Democrats had no mercy on Tom Delay there should be no congeniality and understanding for Conyers.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Didn't the incoming Clintonistas also promise us the "most ethical" administration in the history of the U.S.?

[george76]

His congressional staff ( paid by us taxpayers ) is not supposed to work on campaigns .

That seems a very serious charge.

The FBI should be looking at it.

[george76]

Yes

[upchuck]

They also sent the same materials to the House ethics panel, the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office.

The House ethics panel at least responded. And the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office said/did...

{{ crickets }}

Is it not a Federal crime for a staffer to work on a campaign without taking leave?

This has GOT to stop!

The Rule of Law means nothing any more!!

[george76]

A federal staffer is supposed to leave the congressional job, stop taking pay checks from the taxpayers ( us ), and only then work for a campaign.

There should be a cooling off period, too ?

[george76]

Nancy Pelosi is hard at work on ethical "issues"...

[Mia T]

We must purge DC of the professional pol.
That said, is it no wonder that the party of clinton is defined by corruption?

[ReignOfError]

A federal staffer is supposed to leave the congressional job, stop taking pay checks from the taxpayers ( us ), and only then work for a campaign.

With one exception. The scheduler is allowed to work for both the congressional office and the campaign, for the practical reason that the candidate/congressman is just one guy and can only have one schedule.

There should be a cooling off period, too ?

I don't see the need. Presumably, anyone working in support of a congressman is working in support of his positions, so there's no real conflict of interest.

There is and must be a bright line between congressional staffs and campaign staffs, because otherwise incumbents would have a taxpayer-funded advantage, and would be like spammers, selling to you on your own dime -- but both sides of that line serve the same interest. The question is who pays. It's not comparable to going from a government office to a lobbying gig, where there are and should be cooling-off periods.

[george76]

" They quietly released a public statement, perfectly timed to minimize coverage in the press..."

[george76]

Thanks.

He also required “his official staffers to work on campaigns, babysit his children, and run personal errands.”

[art_rocks]

It's not like Conyers is a lawyer and should understand the laws.