Today I had the opportunity to participate in a discussion with Congressman Pete Hoekstra, ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee. The event was sponsored by the Heritage Foundation‘s Rob Bluey. Hoekstra’s comments ran the gamut–touching on everything from SCHIP, to Iraq, to FISA, to No Child Left Behind and other domestic issues. In that latter vein, Hoekstra was asked how he views the 2008 election–in particular, the possibility that ethics questions will hound Republicans as they did in 2006. Last year, Republican incumbents found themselves answering questions about Mark Foley, Duke Cunningham, Bob Ney, and other members (or former members) tainted by scandal. While Republicans expected that those ethics questions would eventually resolve themselves, there remain several Republican Senators and Representatives who are either under investigation by law enforcement, or who are otherwise accused of improprieties. The Associated Press is one of many outlets to report on this–as well as to note that Congressional Democrats don’t really have their own house in order, either. Hoekstra was clear about members who are accused of breaking the law. He said that while all those accused of wrongdoing have the presumption of innocence, that Republican leaders must approach them directly to determine whether they’ve ‘broken the trust.’ He said that Republicans must “purge the party, and purge the institution.” He stated that they cannot have people who break the law in leadership positions. This probably sounds easier than it really is. It’s been reported that John Boehner approached Bob Ney–his home state colleague–about the investigation into Ney’s relationship with Jack Abramoff. Ney reportedly assured Boehner that there was nothing to it. Eventually, Ney pled guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud, and the filing of dishonest disclosures. That’s no surprise, of course. It’s not likely that elected officials who are hiding something will be any more honest with Republican leaders than with the public. But if Republicans go before the voters in November, 2008, with some of their members under investigation or indictment, they’re not likely to do much better than they did in 2006.
