CREW: The 15 Most Corrupt Members of Congress

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government and public life by targeting government officials — regardless of party affiliation — who sacrifice the common good to special interests. CREW advances its mission using a combination of research, litigation and media outreach. CREW employs the law as a tool to force officials to act ethically and lawfully and to bring unethical conduct to the public’s attention.

CREW has issued its 5th Annual Report on the 15 Most Corrupt Members of Congress:

Name		CREW Report (pdf)	Wikipedia	OpenSecrets
Representative Vern Buchanan (R-FL)		Report	Wikipedia	OpenSecrets
Senator Roland Burris (D-IL)		Report	Wikipedia	OpenSecrets
Representative Ken Calvert (R-CA)		Report	Wikipedia	OpenSecrets
Representative Nathan Deal (R-GA)		Report	Wikipedia	OpenSecrets
Senator John Ensign (R-NV)		Report	Wikipedia	OpenSecrets
Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr.		Report	Wikipedia	OpenSecrets
Representative Jerry Lewis (R-CA)		Report	Wikipedia	OpenSecrets
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY)		Report	Wikipedia	OpenSecrets
Representative Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV)		Report	Wikipedia	OpenSecrets
Representative John P. Murtha (D-PA)		Report	Wikipedia	OpenSecrets
Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY)		Report	Wikipedia	OpenSecrets
Representative Laura Richardson (D-CA)		Report	Wikipedia	OpenSecrets
Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-IN)		Report	Wikipedia	OpenSecrets
Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA)		Report	Wikipedia	OpenSecrets
Representative Don Young (R-Alaska)		Report	Wikipedia	OpenSecrets

The Las Vegas Review-Journal notes “there are eight Democrats and seven Republicans on the list” which includes Nevada’s Senator John Ensign.

The dubious honor puts Ensign in a league with a House member who says he forgot to report more than $500,000 in assets. Former list members were busted for stunts such as hiding $90,000 in a freezer, and another went to prison for taking $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors.

“Members of Congress who have behaved the worst make it in there,” Melanie Sloan, executive director of the watchdog group, said of the list.

Sloan, whose group has filed complaints against Ensign with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics and the Federal Election Commission, says the mistress money isn’t a gift — as Ensign’s lawyer has described it — but a severance, which could be a violation of federal campaign finance law.

A representative for Ensign said, “We have no comment,” in response to the listing.

Corrupt Senators and Representatives should be removed from office as rapidly as possible—by prosecution if evidence will sustain criminal conviction—by voters at their next election.

If you read the OpenSecrets information you will observe that most of them have been re-elected over and over by voters. Doesn’t make sense to me to continue electing people who can’t follow the rules or the law.

Just shows to go you that voters aren’t very bright.

Related posts:

1. CREW names Nevada Senator John Ensign as one of “The 15 Most Corrupt Members” of Congress
2. CREW keeps track of ethics violations and investigations for you
3. CREW files ethics complaint against John Ensign
4. Money paid Congress Members by health insurance industry
5. CREW Files Ethics Complaint Against Sen. John Ensign