Friday, September 18, 2009
Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), member of the corruption hall of fame
Is corruption within the halls of Congress going down? A quick glance at the latest report by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) would indicate so, given that only 15 members of Congress made CREW’s corruption list, compared to 24 last year. However, as the group points out, eight members from 2008 are no longer in office, and seven others were left off the list either because no action was taken against them by congressional or law enforcement bodies, or no new charges arose.
What qualifies a lawmaker for CREW’s list? The unethical or illegal use of their position to “financially benefit themselves, their friends and their families. Earmarks for large campaign contributors are commonplace and many members have traded legislative assistance for personal favors,” says the group.
First-timers on the 2009 list are Senators Roland Burris and John Ensign, as well as Congressmen Nathan Deal, Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Pete Visclosky. Twelve of the 15 are under investigation of some kind: Vern Buchanan, Burris, Ken Calvert, Ensign, Jackson, Jerry Lewis, Alan Mollohan, John Murtha, Charlie Rangel, Laura Richardson, Visclosky and Don Young. Calvert, Lewis, Mollohan and Murtha made the CREW list for the fourth year in a row.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
The 15 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington)
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