March 11, 2008

Contact: Naomi Seligman Steiner 202.408.5565 nseligman@citizensforethics.org

11 Mar 2008 // Washington, DC - In response to the ethics bill passed late tonight by the House of Representatives, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) executive director Melanie Sloan released the following statement:

"We are skeptical of the latest so-called ethics reform measure. Given the pathetic performance of the Ethics Committee over the past decade we have advocated for the creation of a new, independent ethics office. Nevertheless, without subpoena power or the ability to consider complaints filed by anyone other than members of Congress, this new office, like the Ethics Committee itself, promises to be nothing more than a paper tiger. Rather than providing for the vigorous enforcement of ethics rules, the House merely has created a new layer of bureaucracy to insulate members from the consequences of their unethical activities. When the American public realizes there are no teeth behind this latest reform effort, confidence in Congress will be further eroded, the cynics will claim victory and we will be no closer to the goal of a cleaner Congress than we were at the beginning of the 'cleanest Congress in history.' "

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Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non-profit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions.

For more information, please visit www.citizensforethics.org or contact Naomi Seligman Steiner at 202.408.5565/nseligman@citizensforethics.org.

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