The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Jordan Libowitz
202-408-5565 | jlibowitz@citizensforethics.org

Statement on House GOP Vote to Gut Office of Congressional Ethics

WASHINGTON

In response to the House Republicans vote to weaken the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) and kill its independence, Norman Eisen and Richard Painter, Chair and Vice Chair of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), released the following statement:

"Undermining the independence of the House's Office of Congressional Ethics would create a serious risk to members of Congress, who rely on OCE for fair, nonpartisan investigations, and to the American people, who expect their representatives to meet their legal and ethical obligations. As CREW and others noted in a bipartisan letter a few weeks ago, OCE is one of the outstanding ethics accomplishments of the House of Representatives, and it has played a critical role in seeing that the congressional ethics process is no longer viewed as merely a means to sweep problems under the rug. If the 115th Congress begins with rules amendments undermining OCE, it is setting itself up to be dogged by scandals and ethics issues for years and is returning the House to dark days when ethics violations were rampant and far too often tolerated."

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government and public life by targeting government officials -- regardless of party affiliation -- who sacrifice the common good to special interests. CREW advances its mission using a combination of research, litigation and media outreach.