In a post titled, "Senate Ethics: Another DC Oxymoron," the Mouth of the Potomac blasted the complete exoneration of David Vitter:

The toothless Senate Ethics Committee lived up to its reputation today, declining to investigate the antics of admitted john Sen. David Vitter (R-La.).

Vitter was an admitted client of the escort service run by Deborah Jeane Palfrey, who committed suicide earlier this month rather than going to prison.

Now the less-than-heroic souls on the Senate Ethics Committee probably thought they could slide its suspect decision without anyone noticing. Tough luck though: the legal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington caught them and sent out an angry statement:

“The Senate Ethics Committee has once again done what it does best: nothing,” said CREW Deputy Director Naomi Seligman.

The letter CREW received from the Senate Ethics Committee is in the post below. Here's our statement:

The Senate Ethics Committee has once again done what it does best: nothing.

Following its standard operating procedure, the Committee announced today that it has dismissed CREW’s complaint against Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) without prejudice. As a result, we will never know whether Sen. Vitter violated Senate Rules by soliciting for prostitution.

While Deborah Jeane Palfrey, who committed suicide last week, was found guilty of operating a prostitution ring, Sen. Vitter has not been held accountable for his activities. He walks away without even a slap on the wrist.

The Senate Ethics Committee did what it does best today -- NOTHING.  Today, CREW received a response to the ethics complaint we filed against Senator Vitter last year.  It was dismissed "without prejudice."  We'll have a statement shortly.  In the meantime, here's the letter:

Justice is served to the D.C. Madam.  Still waiting for some kind of action against her former patron, David Vitter: 

Deborah Jeane Palfrey was convicted this afternoon of racketeering and other charges after a federal court jury determined that her upscale escort service was actually a front for prostitution.

Jurors deliberated less than eight hours before returning the verdicts against Palfrey, 52, who stood impassively, with her hands folded in front of her, as the decision was read. She will remain free pending her sentencing July 24.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Connelly urged U.S. District Judge James Robertson to lock Palfrey up immediately, arguing that the verdict will give the woman dubbed the D.C. Madam a motive to flee. But the judge, noting that Palfrey has never missed a court appearance, denied the request.

The jury heard four days of often tawdry testimony from employees and clients of Pamela Martin & Associates, the business that Palfrey ran until 2006. Palfrey, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, did not testify. The jury convicted her of all charges: one count of racketeering, two of using the mail for illegal purposes, and one of money laundering.

News today that Senator David Vitter will not be called to testify at the trial of the alleged D.C. Madam:

Sen. David Vitter will not have to testify about his ties to an upscale Washington escort service, a defense attorney said Monday, sparing the Louisiana Republican an embarrassing trip to the witness stand.

Vitter has been on notice for more than a week that he could have to appear during the prostitution trial of Deborah Palfrey. Palfrey's attorney, Preston Burton, said he would rest his case Monday without calling Vitter or any other witnesses.

While Vitter still has not been subject to any ethical repercussions for his actions, one of the former prostitutes has:

A Navy officer who taught a leadership and ethics course at the Naval Academy faces dismissal after she testified Thursday that she moonlighted as an escort for the so-called D.C. Madam.

CREW filed an ethics complaint against Vitter last July. We're still waiting.

CREW has repeatedly expressed concern about the disparate treatment between the criminal scandals involving Senator Larry Craig and Senator David Vitter. Craig was the subject of an admonishment from the Senate Ethics Committee while no such action has been taken against Vitter.

This week, as Vitter awaits the news of whether he'll be a witness in the D.C. Madam's trial, Senator Craig had some words of wisdom and support for his colleague:

Embattled Louisiana Sen. David Vitter (R) is getting support from fellow Republicans who say he should not resign over a public sex scandal — including from someone who can speak from experience.

Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho was among several GOP senators who say Vitter’s testimony in the “D.C. Madam” prostitution case should not compel his resignation.

“First and foremost, in these kinds of issues, it’s the state and the relationship you have with your state that really determines where you ought to go,” Craig said. “That was certainly my case. The Senate itself wasn’t going to judge me. I would allow the citizens of my state to do so. And there is still strong support there."

Craig went through his own trial-by-media last year, after his arrest for and guilty plea to soliciting sex from an undercover male officer in a Minneapolis airport.

Via Justin Rood at ABC's blog, The Blotter, we learn that Louisiana Senator David Vitter, an admitted client of the so-called D.C. Madam, may be called to testify as a witness in her  upcoming criminal case:

A U.S. senator who admitted to using the "D.C. Madam" escort service is fighting a subpoena to testify at her trial –- down to the opening gavel this morning.

Defending herself against a sortie of felony charges stemming from running an alleged interstate prostitution business, Deborah Jeane Palfrey has subpoenaed Sen. David Vitter, R-La., to testify.

Vitter's telephone number appeared in the phone records of Palfrey's business for February 2001, which Palfrey had released to the media. At the time that was revealed, Vitter issued a statement confirming he had used the service.  Through his lawyer, Vitter has said he will not testify.

At a last-minute hearing Friday, U.S. District Court Judge James Robertson appeared to reject an argument by a lawyer who has represented Vitter that his client's testimony would be "totally inappropriate," reported Legal Times. The judge declined to nullify the subpoena.

The lawyer, Henry Asbill, declined to confirm that Vitter was the client in question.  Vitter's office also declined to do so, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Instead it issued a brief statement from Vitter to "reaffirm how sorry I am to have hurt the people I love so deeply. . . including the people of Louisiana."

Asbill said that if forced to testify, his client was prepared to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Clearly, Vitter doesn't want to take the stand.  We're still waiting for the Senate Ethics Committee to hold Vitter accountable.  CREW filed an ethics complaint against Vitter last July.  His GOP colleagues welcomed Vitter with "thunderous applause."  

Well, both cases involving prostitution. One key difference between Spitzer and Vitter is that Vitter is still holding public office:

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., has been mostly mum on the prostitution scandal that forced Democratic New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer to announce his resignation last week. But Vitter let down his guard a bit in a conference call with constituents. Scott Jordan, editor of the Independent Weekly of Lafayette, said he was able to ask Vitter whether he would resign after his phone number was connected last year to a Washington, D.C., escort service that federal investigators say was a call-girl operation. "I have made a very serious mistake a long time ago and I have to live with that every day," Vitter said, according to Jordan's account. "That's not a flippant statement. I need to spend my whole life making up for that." According to Jordan, Vitter turned "a bit defiant" and added: "Anybody who looks at the two cases will see there is an enormous difference between the two of them. The people that are trying to draw comparisons to the two cases are people who've never agreed with me on important issues like immigration and other things."

Last July, CREW filed a Senate Ethics Complaint against Sen. Vitter. We're still waiting for action on that.

Last week, the National Republican Congressional Committee called on Democrats to return contributions from Gov. Spitzer, but no similar call has been made for Republicans to return contributions from Sen. Vitter. Here's a link to a list of those campaigns that have received campaign contributions from Sen. Vitter.

Yesterday, CREW posed a question:  If Spitzer's contributions are an issue, shouldn't Vitter's be, too?:

In light of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s call for candidates and members of Congress to return soon-to-be former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s (D) donations, CREW wonders why members and the National Republican Senatorial Committee have not returned Sen. David Vitter’s (R-LA) contributions. As widely reported, Sen. Vitter has solicited prostitutes in the past. Rather than being condemned and ostracized, Sen. Vitter received "thunderous applause" at a Republican Caucus luncheon after his transgressions became public.

Mary Ann Akers, a.k.a. the Sleuth at the Washington Post asked the question a different way (Whose money is dirtier, Client No. 9's or Vitter's?) and went to Capitol HIll to find out. There was no answer from those who brought up this issue in the first place: 

One GOP member who took Vitter cash, retiring eight-term Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio), tells CREW: fuhgeddaboutit!

"No, we're not giving the money back," Pryce spokesman Rob Nichols told us. "We spent it a long time ago."

Nor does the NRSC plan to return a $25,000 contribution it received from Vitter in the '06 cycle, according to NRSC spokeswoman Rebecca Fisher, who didn't elaborate.

Meanwhile, the NRCC's counterpart and political nemesis, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, is jumping on the hypocrisy bandwagon, too.

"There is certainly no shortage of hypocrisy in the Republican Party," says DCCC spokesman Doug Thornell, who finds the NRCC's crusade against "sleazy" Spitzer money laughable in light of GOP scandals.

"Between the former members wearing orange jumpsuits and the current members under indictment or criminal investigations you could fill a New York City subway car," Thornell groans.

NRCC spokesman Ken Spain says CREW is all but a front for the Democratic Party. "This is the very same Democrat-leaning organization that admitted just one day before that Governor Spitzer's alleged crime is 'more serious' and will likely amount to 'one or more felonies.' We take them at their word and agree with them wholeheartedly."

Though Spain still didn't tell us what makes Republicans think Spitzer's hooker money is any dirtier than Vitter's.

In light of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s call for candidates and members of Congress to return soon-to-be former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s (D) donations, CREW wonders why members and the National Republican Senatorial Committee have not returned Sen. David Vitter’s (R-LA) contributions. As widely reported, Sen. Vitter has solicited prostitutes in the past. Rather than being condemned and ostracized, Sen. Vitter received "thunderous applause" at a Republican Caucus luncheon after his transgressions became public.

Government officials must obey all laws, not just those with which they agree. We do not, however, advocate returning legal campaign donations made by officials who broke the law when the contributions are in no way tied to the illegal activity. Nevertheless, we note that what is good for the goose should be good for the gander and, therefore, point out the following contributions made by Sen. Vitter:

2006 Cycle:

National Republican Senatorial Committee – $25,000

House members:
Charles Boustany, Jr. (R- LA) – $1,000
Steve Chabot (R-OH) – $2,500
Jim Gerlach (R–PA) – $2,000
Deborah Pryce (R-OH) – $2,000
Mark Souder (R-IN) – $2,000
Heather Wilson (R-NM) – $2,000

Senate members:
Bob Corker (R-TN) – $10,000
John Ensign (R-NV) – $5,000
Orrin Hatch (R-UT) – $5,000
Jon Kyl (R-AZ) – $6,000

2008 Cycle:

Senate member:
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) – $1,000