|
By Hugo Gurdon
|
|
Posted: 06/07/07 06:31 PM [ET] |
In the wake of Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) indictment, Democrats and Republican leaders in the House offered competing resolutions Tuesday night on the conduct of members in the lower chamber.
But as the parties rushed for what they believed was the highest ground on the issue of ethics, Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio), who voted against both measures, stole the show.
In a bold move, he went to the House floor and gave a concise and stirring speech about how members are overreacting to recent scandals involving lawmakers.
LaTourette said, “I have to say, this is a very sad debate … These competing resolutions, in my opinion, are continuing the dumbing-down of the House. Now, I don’t know whether Representative Jefferson is guilty or not guilty of the things that he has been indicted for by the Justice Department. But even members of Congress, ladies and gentlemen, are entitled to a presumption [of innocence.]”
The former prosecuting attorney, who served more than four years on the House ethics committee, said it is unwise for the panel to investigate matters that are already being probed by Department of Justice officials. Dueling investigations, he said, can impede prosecutions.
The message of both resolutions, LaTourette, said, is that a prosecutor in any district in America can indict a member of Congress and “on the basis of that you are removed from your leadership position, you are removed from your committees, and you may not have done a darn thing.”
LaTourette, a centrist, blamed both parties for playing politics: “Your side started this ‘culture of corruption’ last year; we’re going to start the ‘House of hypocrisy’ this year. Stop dumbing down the institution.”
And while the House overwhelmingly voted for the Democratic and Republican bills, LaTourette was one of only nine members to reject them both.
The other members who voted with LaTourette were Reps. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.), John Doolittle (R-Calif.), Bob Filner (D-Calif.), Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Pete Stark (D-Calif.), Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) and Don Young (R-Alaska).
These were not safe votes, especially for LaTourette, who represents a district that backed President Bush with 53 percent of the vote in 2004. But this newspaper admires lawmakers who don’t always follow the polls. And we also think LaTourette is right.
This newspaper warned Congress to be reflective rather than reflexive in its response to recent ethics scandal. We told it not to act in haste and repent at leisure. We suggested it was unwise to contract out its sovereignty to lesser outside bodies. Now any partisan prosecutor in the nation can try to oust members from their positions in the House. Passing rules and enforcing them is important. But both parties have swung from doing too little on ethics to doing too much.
LaTourette, who survived the 2006 wave of blue with 58 percent of the vote, could have voted for both of the popular dueling bills Tuesday night. Instead he chose principle. That was courageous.
|
