Wally Responds: Ethics Committee

I have to admit that I don't recall what exact message this is in response to. But it's about Tom DeLay. Most of the letter is juiceless. But towards to end, there is a good part.

Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns with the current impasse at the House Committee on Standards of Conduct, also commonly known as the House Ethics Committee. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.

I agree with you about the importance of a credible ethics process. Congress needs to be steadfast in its commitment to high ethical standards and a functioning ethics process, which help uphold the credibility of this institution. The public's confidence in Congress and their elected representatives depends upon it. As such, I, too, regret the impasse that has delayed the formal organization of the House Ethics Committee in the 109th Congress, and am hopeful that those Members who have objected to the Committee's formation wi11lift those objections soon and allow us to move forward in a bipartisan manner.

The objections have focused primarily on several changes to the current ethics process adopted by the full House of Representatives as part of the larger organizational rules package that was approved in January. Each year at the beginning of a new Congress (in this case, the 109th, which began in January), the House adopts a set of rules to govern legislative and other activities throughout the duration of that particular Congress. Specifically, several changes were adopted in response to concerns raised by some Members that the ethics process, as it was then structured and had been operating, was too easily abused for political purposes. Other Members of Congress believed certain other changes were necessary to ensure proper due process is afforded to all individuals brought before the committee to answer for alleged ethics violations.

I agreed with the proposed changes and supported them during their consideration and adoption in January. On balance, I believe they represent minor changes that will go a long way toward insulating the process from political influence and providing Members additional due process protections, while still firmly adhering to the spirit and intent of our ethics regime.

As for the specific allegations directed against Majority Leader DeLay, I believe they are an unfortunate example of how these issues and the ethics process itself can be manipulated for political purposes. I have not seen anything to indicate that Majority Leader DeLay has violated any ethics rules or otherwise acted improperly or against the best interests of the people he represents. Indeed, Mr. DeLay has indicated his willingness to go before the committee and explain his actions.

Again, thank you for contacting me to express your views. Please don't hesitate to do so again on this or any other federal matter of importance to you.

Sincerely,
Wally Herger
Member of Congress

He probably could have saved a sheet of paper and just said that IOKIYAR (It's Okay If You're A Republican).