Massa Case Still Hangs Over Dems

For House Democrats, how soon will the other ethics shoe drop — and how hard?
A House Ethics subcommittee’s finding last week that Rep.Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., violated congressional ethics rules comes at a politically awkward time in these months before the Nov. 2 midterm elections.
But as the Rangel drama plays out, little word has emerged from another Ethics panel reviewing whether Speaker Pelosi and other House leaders, or their aides, mishandled initial complaints of sexual harassment against former Rep. Eric Massa, D-N.Y., by male staffers.
It’s been more than three months since the bipartisan Ethics Committee announced on April 21 the creation of a panel to, in part, determine “whether members, officers or employees of the House of Representatives may have failed to properly report or fully disclose allegations of such misconduct.”
Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer and congressional aides already have been privately interviewed by the subcommittee and staff about what they came to know about Massa’s behavior, and when. What the subcommittee ultimately will report hangs over this summer as a potential second big blow to Democrats.
“Certainly, they’d like to see it put off until after the election … but Congress and the American people deserve a resolution of this,” said House Republican Conference Secretary John Carter of Texas.

Read more: (Billy House, “Massa Case Still Hangs Over Dems,” National Journal’s CongressDaily, 07/26/10)