Boehner Outlines GOP Proposal to Strengthen House Ethics

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WASHINGTON, DC – House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today testified before the House Rules Committee on the Republican proposal for fixing the broken ethics process in the House. Following are Boehner’s remarks as prepared:

“I thank the distinguished Chairwoman and Ranking Republican Member, and their colleagues on the committee, for this opportunity to testify on this important issue.

“Madame Chairwoman, when I first asked my Republican colleagues to elect me as their Leader, I made it clear that rebuilding the bonds of trust between Congress and the American people would be among my very highest priorities. Simply put, the American people have every right to expect the highest ethical standards from the men and women sent here to represent them.

“The House ethics process simply doesn’t work. That was true when Republicans were in the majority, and it’s equally true more than a year into the Democratic majority that currently runs the House. The House Ethics Committee failed to act on credible allegations of wrongdoing then – and from all appearances, is failing to act on credible allegations of wrongdoing now.

“Democratic leaders have proposed to create an independent ethics enforcement entity in the House. They say their proposal is necessary because the House ethics process is broken. They argue we need this new independent ethics entity to force the Ethics Committee to do its job.

“I agree wholeheartedly that the process is broken, Madame Chairwoman. That’s why I joined with Speaker Pelosi a year ago in appointing a bipartisan task force of respected Members to recommend steps to improve ethics enforcement. As a result of their work, I’m more convinced than ever that if the Ethics Committee isn’t functioning properly, we should fix the Ethics Committee – not layer on top of it a new bureaucracy that stands between Members of Congress and entities such as the Department of Justice and the FBI, the gold standard of law enforcement. Let me tell you why I’m convinced creating this new layer of bureaucracy would be a mistake.

“I’ve served in the House since 1991. I was a founding member of the Gang of Seven, which forced the leadership of both parties to come clean about rampant check-bouncing by Members at the House Bank, “dine and dash” practices by Members at the House Restaurant, and corruption at the House Post Office.

“If there’s one thing I learned from my days with the Gang of Seven, it’s to never underestimate the tendency for this institution to sweep problems under the rug when they happen. That’s why we need a functioning Ethics Committee that will either do its job, or get out of the way in a timely fashion so the appropriate law enforcement agencies can. When there’s a mess, the Ethics Committee should clean it up – and if the Ethics Committee can’t clean it up, it should be handed over to law enforcement authorities promptly. It should not be punted to another faceless board comprised of members who owe their paychecks to the the very politicians they’re charged with investigating.

“The Democratic leadership’s proposal simply adds a new layer of bureaucracy between the existing Ethics Committee and federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI that exist to fight corruption at the highest levels. In short, it provides a new way for Congress to do what it historically has always done, which is sweep the mess under the rug.

“Instead of creating a new layer of ambiguous bureaucracy between Congress and federal law enforcement authorities, we should focus on fixing the problems that have led to the total loss of confidence in the Ethics Committee itself: unending partisan gridlock, a lack of meaningful deadlines for action, and the high level of secrecy that surrounds every aspect of the Ethics Committee’s investigative work.

“The desire for a functioning Ethics Committee is shared by members on both sides of the aisle. To that end, I’m pleased to have joined with Congressman Lamar Smith, his Republican colleagues on the Bipartisan Ethics Task Force, and every member of our Republican leadership team to introduce a proposed change to House Rules addressing the real problems at the Ethics Committee.

“Our goal is real reform of the ethics process, and a system that makes it harder, not easier, for problems to be swept under the rug by Congress. Our proposal puts real teeth into congressional ethics enforcement. In addition to opening up the Ethics Committee’s actions to public scrutiny, our plan would provide strong incentives for the committee to do what it is supposed to do, when it is supposed to do it. And when it can’t do it or fails to do it, our plan would rely on federal law enforcement authorities to get the job done, rather than empowering a new bureaucracy between those law enforcement authorities and Members of Congress. Let me highlight three key aspects of our plan:

1. Trust the Department of Justice and FBI. The House Ethics Committee is a toothless body that has been paralyzed for years by partisan gridlock. It ' s a black hole where complaints are filed, never to be seen or heard of again. That ' s why our ethics reform plan requires the House Ethics Committee, after 90 days, to refer any matters stalled by partisan gridlock to the FBI and Department of Justice. The American people trust DOJ and the FBI to conduct thorough and effective investigations. Furthermore, in the past few years, DOJ’s public integrity division has been very active in investigating allegations of public corruption, and it only makes sense to enlist their help when the Ethics Committee refuses to act.

2. Let in the Light on Ethics Investigations. The House Ethics Committee is shadowed in secrecy and very little information about investigations is made public. This lack of transparency has allowed the committee to hide behind a smokescreen of uncertainty, where no one knows if it is doing anything or nothing at all. House Republicans want to bring more transparency to Congress, and the ethics process is an important place to start. Our ethics reform plan requires the House Ethics Committee to release a monthly public report on its investigative activities. These reports will list all new allegations and actions taken by the committee to investigate them, with appropriate safeguards that strike a balance between protecting the rights of the accused and informing the public about the progress of the investigation. This public disclosure will also keep the committee accountable and encourage it to act quickly because the public will now be able to track its work.

3. Get the American people involved. The House Ethics Committee closed its door to the American people years ago by not allowing the public to submit allegations of ethical violations by members of Congress and congressional staff. Our ethics reform plan opens the door to let in the light of public scrutiny by empowering the House Inspector General to receive information from the public about alleged misconduct and transmit that information to the House Ethics Committee. Because of the transparency provisions in the Republican reform plan, those who submit information can track what happened with it in the committee’s monthly reports.

“In closing, Madame Chairwoman, on a matter of such profound importance to the House and the American people we are elected to serve, I would urge the Rules Committee to give Members of the House an honest choice tomorrow – a choice between two very different attempts to reach the same important goal. Failing to do so – by giving Members only a choice between the Democrats’ partisan proposal and nothing at all – is simply not an honest choice. It would also fail to acknowledge the deep concerns that exist on both sides of the aisle about the proposal that has been brought forth by the majority leadership.

“The American people have every right to expect the highest ethical standards from their Congress. And they have a right to expect an honest debate, and an honest choice, as we strive to restore trust between the American people and their elected leaders.”