Congresswoman says: ‘We must live and work by higher standards’
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today issued the following statement on ethical allegations raised against members of the House of Representatives:
It is not enough for members of Congress to abide by the same rules that apply to the men and women we represent. We must live and work by higher standards – standards that send a clear message: Violation of House ethics rules will not be tolerated.
Our commitment to having a Congress devoted to honesty and accountability has been challenged recently with the very serious ethical allegations against members of the House of Representatives. These allegations, the result of a bipartisan investigation, stain the reputation of an institution that has made great strides in implementing new ethical requirements and regaining the trust of the American people.
My very first votes as a member of the House in January 2007 were for a series of actions that aggressively toughened congressional ethics rules. The measures included a ban on receiving gifts from lobbyists, a halt to travel organized by lobbyists and stopping the revolving door between Congress and lobbying firms.
Since then, many other positive steps have been taken to root out and punish corrupt behavior. Among them was the creation of a bipartisan Office of Congressional Ethics that has as its main goal improving the transparency of the House ethics review process.
Still, the recent charges against members of the House are a vivid reminder that our work to ensure that members of Congress abide by our ethical requirements is far from complete.
If the charged lawmakers are proven guilty, they must not be allowed to remain in the House and they should lose their congressional pensions. Every American must have confidence in the fact that being a member of Congress does not amount to a get-out-of-jail-free card.
Albert Einstein put it best: “Relativity applies to physics, not ethics.”