Stories of Note — April 27, 2010

Campaigning House Democrats May Have to Confront Ethics Scandals

“House Democrats will likely have to confront a pair of ethics scandals before Election Day, despite early hopes that problems involving former Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) could be dispensed with well before the November midterms.

“Experts say the House ethics committee is likely to issue a report within a few months as to whether Democratic leadership offices properly handled complaints that Massa was sexually harassing members of his staff.

“Massa’s resignation last month closed the book on an initial investigation focused on the complaints themselves. But in response to new information that at least two Democratic leadership offices knew of such complaints weeks before they became public, the ethics panel last week announced that it was re-opening and expanding the probe to include a look at how those — and potentially other — offices handled them.”
(Jared Allen and Susan Crabtree, “Campaigning House Democrats May Have to Confront Ethics Scandals,” The Hill, 4/27/10)

Bart Gordon’s Taxpayer-Funded Retirement Gift

“Most careers end with a gold watch or a happy hour. For retiring House Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), the parting gift from the nation’s taxpayers appears to be an all-expenses-paid tour of Italy, Switzerland and China.

“Gordon told his constituents in mid-December that he was calling it quits after 13 terms. Since then, the Blue Dog Coalition member has embarked on a global victory lap of sorts, spending tens of thousands of dollars to sample international locales while traveling on official government business.

“By June, Gordon will have traveled on six Congressional delegation trips in seven months. A House Democratic aide confirmed that Gordon attempted to organize a seventh trip in March — to Madrid and Seville, Spain — that was later called off.”
(Matthew Murray, “Gordon Racks Up Miles Before Retiring,” Roll Call, 4/27/10)