Congressional lawmakers are discussing ways to reform internal ethics procedures or investigating misconduct by members, after three lawmakers resigned in April alone for alleged bad behavior.
The challenging part, however, will be deciding which reforms to chase. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA), a member of the House Ethics Committee, told the Washington Examiner that the panel should be more aggressive in its approach toward members.
Another member of the panel, Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD), conceded there is “always room for improvement,” but told the Washington Examiner that “moving faster isn’t always moving better.”
“There’s an appetite for reforms, and there are discussions taking place, but there’s no easy path forward,” Ivey said. “This is one of those things where they say it’s simple but not easy. We want to make the process go faster, but how do you do it? That’s a trickier part.”
The resignations of former Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Tony Gonzales (R-TX), who were both accused of sexual misconduct, and Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), who was accused of financial misconduct, roiled Capitol Hill. The departures also sparked debate over whether the House Ethics Committee’s investigations into member misconduct move too slowly.
Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Ted Lieu (D-CA) told the Washington Examiner that his party would “like to have the reforms now,” rather than waiting for November when Democrats could take control of the lower chamber.
Lieu said he is “open to any and all reforms in terms of processes as well as substantive changes” toward congressional ethics investigations, saying he believes it is “important for our institution and for the American people.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told reporters on Tuesday that he would lead reform talks himself, and that House lawmakers are “looking at every potential avenue to tighten up the rules and make sure that women have an avenue to report.”
He continued, “If there are ways to tighten the rules suggestions, we’re seeking that from all members, we’re open to that, and I suspect you get bipartisan, almost hopefully unanimous, support to do that.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) told reporters earlier this week that leadership within the Democratic women’s caucus would lead conversations on the Democratic side on ways to “improve upon the flaws that currently exist in the system,” but did not reveal what reforms the caucus would be considering.
Subramanyam, a freshman representative, told the Washington Examiner that the panel should be more willing to hold people in contempt of Congress if they try to obstruct or delay the committee’s investigation. He also wants to see the ethics panel issue subpoenas faster.
The Virginia Democrat explained that the committee is often stonewalled during its investigations by members and others around them, which can delay them by many months, and in some cases, years.
Ivey argued that even if the committee held individuals in contempt, they would likely assert their Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, and then “you’re pretty much in the same place.”
“I guess the issue is, you know, just getting there faster could help to expedite the process, but there’s no panacea to this,” Ivey said. “I mean, there’s no easy answer.”
Ivey noted the importance of separating the types of cases the committee investigates, emphasizing that a sexual harassment investigation should be handled differently from a financial misconduct investigation.
“You’ve got the sexual harassment context of cases on the one hand, you got the sort of financial misconduct cases on the other hand,” Ivey said. “And I think they’re kind of different animals.”
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), who has been in Congress since 1993, echoed that sentiment, begging the question of which allegations of congressional ethics violations would be considered “most serious.”
“I’d want someone who’s charged with something to have the full benefit of presenting their side, and if that comes with a timetable, so be it,” Thompson said.
TONY GONZALES TO RESIGN FROM HOUSE AMID EXPULSION THREAT OVER AFFAIR WITH LATE STAFFER
The House Ethics Committee revealed in a public statement on Monday that, since 2017, it has conducted 20 investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct from House members. The panel also released a list of all public matters it has investigated involving members’ alleged sexual misconduct, with 15 instances since 2017.
Congress implemented reforms regarding ethics investigative processes in the wake of a #MeToo era movement on Capitol Hill in 2017 that led to the resignations of nine members of Congress over allegations of sexual misconduct.
