IBD Editorial
Investors Business Daily
11/16/2010
Ethics: You may never have heard of Rep. Darrell Issa, but you will soon. Republicans have tasked him with cleaning up four years of Democratic misrule and misconduct. It’s a big job, but somebody simply must do it.
For proof, look no further than Tuesday’s dirty debacle with Rep. Charles Rangel, who walked out of a congressional hearing before being found guilty by the House ethics committee on 11 of 13 charges of misconduct.
Democrats were keen to rid themselves of this scandal before the GOP takes over in January. That let them control the outcome while pretending to be ethically responsible.
But Rangel’s sins have been known for years and Democrats, with a solid hold on Congress, chose to ignore his misbehavior. Now, they likely will administer a mild slap on the wrist to Rangel during their lame-duck Congress, and politely ask him to go away…
…Fortunately, the midterm election is putting an end to this. As the head of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, California Republican Issa has promised aggressive investigations of misconduct, wherever it occurs. We think it’s long overdue…
…The list of troubling government activities that should be investigated is a long one. Issa’s already looking into Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. And he’s been openly critical of the Obama stimulus’ lack of controls and poor accounting practices.
He — or other GOP committees — may also look into AIG and the other bank bailouts, and answer who got money and why.
Then there’s the Countrywide VIP program, in which some Congress members got favorable mortgages. And don’t forget the $700 billion TARP program…
Read the entire article at Investors.com
