WASHINGTON - The top Democrat on the House ethics committee agreed Friday to leave the panel to defend his financial conduct and ease the political burden on a party that has made Republican corruption a major campaign theme.
Made it a campaign theme with the aidin' and abettin' of the MSM, that is. So this Democrat is on the ethics committee? Go figure.
Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., decided on his own (ed: really?) to step down at least temporarily, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said. His presence on the committee, while under an ethics cloud, would have undermined Democratic accusations that majority Republicans allow a "culture of corruption" in Congress.
Note to Ms. Pelosi - having him step down from the committee doesn't eliminate that "both parties do it" flavor. You've certainly got skeletons, and so does your senate counterpart.
The Wall Street Journal reported two weeks ago that Mollohan steered millions of dollars to nonprofit groups in his district — with much of the money going to organizations run by people who contribute to his campaigns.
Also, a conservative ethics watchdog group, the National Legal and Policy Center, filed a complaint with federal prosecutors this year questioning whether Mollohan correctly reported his assets on financial disclosure forms.
Mollohan has denied any wrongdoing in the appropriations and said his financial disclosures were accurate. He attributed a large increase in assets to a boost in property values.
The MSM will do everything in its power to avoid chasing this story with anything near the ferocity that they tackle every exhalation of Tom DeLay. Still, it seems that the general concensus is likely to be "everyone does it." And, while these investigations have yet to run their course, it certainly seems that everyone does.
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