Incoming Juciciary Committee Chairman Given Hand Slap For Ethics Violation

Former staffers of Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, accused him of requiring his congressional staff to perform political work on government time, using government resources for political work and compelling staffers to perform personal errands for him. The House Ethics Committee said the assertions "implicate[d] a number of laws and House rules applicable to Members [of Congress]." Rep. Conyers, in the course of the investigation, "acknowledged what he characterized as a 'lack of clarity' in his communications with staff members regarding their official duties and responsibilities, and accepted responsibility for his actions." His punishment from the House Ethics Committee according to The Hill: "[Conyers] agreed to take a number of additional, significant steps to ensure that his office complies with all rules and standards regarding campaign andpersonal work by congressional staff. We have concluded that this matter should be resolved through the issuance of this public statement."

The standard for punishment applied to Conyers appears to be one that says if you accept the possibility you may have violated federal law and House rules, then we'll let you off with just a slap of the hand. There are no calls by Democrats for him to resign. There are no calls for the Justice Department to investigate. They aren't even demanding that he give up the coveted chairmanship of the House Judiciary Committee. Last year, Conyers said he would begin impeachment proceedings against President Bush if Democrats recaptured the House and he led the Judiciary Committee. Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi, however, has told her Democratic colleagues that impeachment is off the table. Will the new Democratic majority prove to be as ethically-challenged as the outgoing Republican majority?