Ethics in the News

Cindy McCain says she'll never release her tax returns

SOURCE: Staff // Associated Press

9 May 2008 // Cindy McCain says she will never make her tax returns public even if her husband wins the White House and she becomes the first lady.

Ex-PBS&J chairman faces sentencing

SOURCE: Patrick Danner and Dan Christensen // Miami Herald

9 May 2008 // Former PBS&J Chairman Richard A. Wickett set to be sentenced Friday afternoon for his role in a long-running scheme to subvert campaign-finance laws has implicated the engineering consulting firm's current boss in the scandal.

Senate Ethics Committee Dismisses Vitter Complaint

SOURCE: Jennifer Yachnin // Roll Call

9 May 2008 // The Senate Ethics Committee dismissed a complaint Thursday over charges that Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) had violated the chamber’s rules when he allegedly solicited a prostitute, but the panel did not refrain from scolding the Senator for his errant behavior.

Ethics Panel Dismisses Complaint Against Sen. Vitter

SOURCE: Kathleen Hunter // Congressional Quarterly Today

9 May 2008 // The Senate Ethics Committee has closed its probe of Sen. David Vitter's ties to a Washington prostitution ring.

A watchdog group had filed a complaint alleging that Vitter's actions violated rules requiring conduct that reflects well upon the Senate.

Alleged conduct was before run for office

SOURCE: Bruce Alpert // New Orleans Times-Picayune

9 May 2008 // The Senate Ethics Committee on Thursday decided not to pursue an investigation into a watchdog group's complaint that Sen. David Vitter's connection to a Washington escort service may have violated Senate rules.

But the panel said it would be "reprehensible" if he, in fact, had solicited prostitutes.

Congressman says he's unaware of illegal use of staff for campaigns

SOURCE: Dennis Camire // Honolulu Advertiser

9 May 2008 // U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, said if there is a problem with members of Congress illegally using official resources and staff for political campaigns, then it should be investigated.

But Abercrombie said he knew of no ongoing Justice Department investigation into the illegal use of staff and resources of his or anyone else's offices.

Panel rejects complaint against Vitter

SOURCE: Ana Radelat // Shreveport Times

9 May 2008 // The Senate ethics committee Thursday rejected a complaint against Sen. David Vitter by a government watchdog group that questioned whether he violated Senate rules by having a relationship with a Washington escort service.

Ethics committee won't investigate Sen. Vitter

SOURCE: Larry Margasak // Associated Press

8 May 2008 // The Senate Ethics Committee declined Thursday to investigate Sen. David Vitter, who was linked to an escort service whose owner was convicted in federal court and subsequently committed suicide.

The White House Has Got Mail — Um, It Had Mail

SOURCE: The Editorial Board // The New York Times Blog

8 May 2008 // As the Bush administration fades into history, a federal lawsuit is establishing that astonishing chunks of this history have already gone missing.

The White House admitted in court this week that it has no back-up archives for missing email messages covering a crucial period in 2003.

Senate ethics panel dismisses Vitter complaint

SOURCE: Thomas Ferraro // Reuters

8 May 2008 // The Senate Ethics Committee on Thursday dismissed a complaint against Sen. David Vitter, a suspected patron of a prostitution ring headed by a woman who killed herself last month.