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Democrats are complaining that Republicans have "waited too long" to address the "culture of corruption" in the House and the Senate.
The complaint came Tuesday, after Republican leaders called a news conference to propose new restrictions on privately funded travel and gifts to lawmakers.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert said he's been "deeply disturbed" by allegations of corruption stemming from the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. (As part of his recent plea bargain, Abramoff agreed to cooperate with a federal probe into bribery and influence peddling on Capitol Hill.)
"It's not acceptable for anyone to break the rules of the House or the law, and if they have, they should be held to account," Hastert said.
Hastert noted that recent corruption allegations stem from violations of existing rules. Nevertheless, he added, Congress -- to regain the trust of the American people -- "must go further than prosecuting the bad actors. We need to reform the rules so it's clear beyond a shadow of the doubt what is ethically acceptable for members of Congress, of the House of Representatives and their staff."
Hastert said when the House reconvenes at the end of January, Republican leaders immediately will introduce a proposal that includes a ban on privately sponsored travel by House members.
"I know fact-finding trips are important," Hastert said at the news conference. But, he added, some lawmakers have "abused" privately funded travel, "and I believe we need to put an end to it."
Hastert said the reform proposal also calls for stricter rules regarding gifts. "A member of Congress should be able to accept a baseball cap or a T-shirt from the proud students of a local middle school. But he or she doesn't need to be taken to lunch or dinner by a Washington lobbyist."
Hastert called for more transparency -- and stricter reporting of lobbyist activities.
"We have a full agenda immediately following the State of Union address, and it includes the Deficit Reduction Act, the Patriot Act, immigration reform and enacting lobbying reform. It's a full plate, but I'm confident that we'll get it done and then move on to other legislative priorities," Hastert said.
Drier, speaking at the same news conference on Tuesday, said the Republican Party "has been and continues to be the party of reform," which he described as an ongoing process.
In addition to the reforms mentioned by Speaker Hastert, Drier, the chairman of the House Rules Committee, said he plans to introduce legislation on Jan. 31 that will ban former lawmakers-turned-lobbyists from the House floor (except for ceremonial purposes) and from the House gym.
"We do know that members have raised concern about this issue, and this will be an immediate action that we are able to take on the opening day of our reconvening," Drier said.
Drier also proposed a two-year lobbying ban for former members of Congress and senior staff. Right now, that lobbying ban covers only one year.
Drier said lawmakers convicted of felonies stemming form their official duties will lose their congressional pensions under the reform plan; and he said Congress also needs to deal with the issue of 527 groups, which "surreptitiously" spend "millions and millions of dollars...to impact congressional elections."
Drier also called for "earmark reform," a reference to pork-barrel projects or line items inserted in "must-pass" legislation.
'Sham effort'
The Democratic National Committee, which is making "Republican corruption" a campaign issue, described the Republican reform plan as a "sham" effort "aimed at papering over the ethical scandals that have mushroomed under the Republican majority."
The DNC complained that the Republicans chosen to lead the reform effort -- Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the Senate; and David Dreier (R-Calif.) in the House -- "have their own strong connections to the Republican culture of corruption."
According to the DNC, "it's been widely reported that Santorum leads the K Street Project, which ensures that Republicans get the top lobbying jobs in Washington."
And McCain, who chairs the committee investigating lobbyist Jack Abramoff, "has steadfastly refused to investigate the actions of Republicans who took money from Abramoff, his clients and associates, and who may have later helped them with legislative favors," the DNC complained.
On the House side, Rep. Dreier is "a long-time confidante" of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, the DNC said, adding that Drier "has spent years defending the disgraced former Republican majority leader who faces charges of money laundering and other campaign finance improprieties."
DeLay has said the charges against him are politically motivated, and those charges have not yet been proven in a court of law.
"Under the leadership of Speaker Hastert and Senator Frist, the Republican Congress is corrupt as ever," said Democratic National Committee Communications Director Karen Finney in a press release.
"How can we trust that their efforts at reform are anything more than a sham? After five years, the Republican leadership has done nothing, and now, with their backs against the wall, their only answer is to throw together a last-minute, incomplete plan.
"Putting Rick Santorum and David Dreier in charge of ethics reform is like having Dracula guard the blood bank," Finney said.
She said, "Democrats have a real plan to restore honesty and ethics in Washington," but didn't say what that plan is.
-- Cybercast News Service
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