Local lore has it that Washington was built on top of a swamp. Historians say that’s a myth, but it makes for a great political catchphrase. Back in 2006 when Democrats took the majority in Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised to “drain the swamp” through vigorous ethics reforms and ethics enforcements. Two high-profile ethics inquiries are testing that promise,and offering political risk and rewards. And the dilemma isn’t just national.
Democratic Representatives Charles Rangel and Maxine Waters are slated to stand trial for a variety of violations leveled against them by the House Ethics Committee. Rangel’s alleged misconduct ranges from tax evasion to faulty financial disclosure. Waters stands accused of lobbying for bailout funding of a bank while her husband was a stockholder there. Republican strategists see opportunity in their misfortune, and they’re inundating congressional swing districts with press releases, calling on Democratic candidates to return money received from Rangel, Waters, and their affiliated political-action committees.
Among the targets are some prominent politicos from Maryland and Virginia.
Last Thursday, Representative Gerry Connolly, who represents Fairfax County, dismissed Rangel’s allegedly corrupt actions as “sad and isolated.” But he and other Virginia lawmakers received campaign support from Rangel in the past. Connolly got $5,000 from Rangel’s National Leadership PAC in 2008, according to Opensecrets.org, the watchdog Web site of the Center for Responsive Politics. Also in 2008, Virginia Senator Mark Warner accepted a $10,000 donation from Rangel’s PAC. Farther from Washington, Representative Tom Perriello, who speaks for Virginia’s fifth district—the largest one in the state, which includes Charlottesville—received $5,000 from National Leadership in 2008. (Since rumors of controversy emerged over the last year, however, a number of members of Congress have either returned the money or donated it, including Connolly, who donated the money to the Boys and Girls club, and Perriello, who donated to a variety of charities in his district, according to representatives for both members of Congress. )
On the Maryland side, National Leadership PAC gave Representative Donna Edwards $5,000 in 2008. She’s also a favorite of People Helping People, a California-based PAC affiliated with Waters. Edwards is the only recipient of a People Helping People donation so far this year. The organization gave her $2,500. Back in Virginia, Perriello received $2,000 from the PAC in 2008 (although Perriello later returned that money, a spokeswoman for his campaign said.)
Those numbers may present an political opportunity for Republicans to paint Democrats as hypocrites, but they’re also a chance for Democrats to prove they keep their ethics promises. If Dems return money from or tied to Rangel and Waters (Slate’s Christopher Beam has a handy guide for deciding how to give donations back), they could show they’re keeping their promises. And while the prospect of taking two senior, progressive members of the caucus to task with midterms looming might upset the Democratic base, a rigorous investigation of Rangel and Waters in spite of party loyalty could bolster Democrats’ credibility, especially among independents.
Donation Dilemmas
Two Democratic ethics trials raise questions for Washington politicians—and the fall elections
Local lore has it that Washington was built on top of a swamp. Historians say that’s a myth, but it makes for a great political catchphrase. Back in 2006 when Democrats took the majority in Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised to “drain the swamp” through vigorous ethics reforms and ethics enforcements. Two high-profile ethics inquiries are testing that promise,and offering political risk and rewards. And the dilemma isn’t just national.
Democratic Representatives Charles Rangel and Maxine Waters are slated to stand trial for a variety of violations leveled against them by the House Ethics Committee. Rangel’s alleged misconduct ranges from tax evasion to faulty financial disclosure. Waters stands accused of lobbying for bailout funding of a bank while her husband was a stockholder there. Republican strategists see opportunity in their misfortune, and they’re inundating congressional swing districts with press releases, calling on Democratic candidates to return money received from Rangel, Waters, and their affiliated political-action committees.
Among the targets are some prominent politicos from Maryland and Virginia.
Last Thursday, Representative Gerry Connolly, who represents Fairfax County, dismissed Rangel’s allegedly corrupt actions as “sad and isolated.” But he and other Virginia lawmakers received campaign support from Rangel in the past. Connolly got $5,000 from Rangel’s National Leadership PAC in 2008, according to Opensecrets.org, the watchdog Web site of the Center for Responsive Politics. Also in 2008, Virginia Senator Mark Warner accepted a $10,000 donation from Rangel’s PAC. Farther from Washington, Representative Tom Perriello, who speaks for Virginia’s fifth district—the largest one in the state, which includes Charlottesville—received $5,000 from National Leadership in 2008. (Since rumors of controversy emerged over the last year, however, a number of members of Congress have either returned the money or donated it, including Connolly, who donated the money to the Boys and Girls club, and Perriello, who donated to a variety of charities in his district, according to representatives for both members of Congress. )
On the Maryland side, National Leadership PAC gave Representative Donna Edwards $5,000 in 2008. She’s also a favorite of People Helping People, a California-based PAC affiliated with Waters. Edwards is the only recipient of a People Helping People donation so far this year. The organization gave her $2,500. Back in Virginia, Perriello received $2,000 from the PAC in 2008 (although Perriello later returned that money, a spokeswoman for his campaign said.)
Those numbers may present an political opportunity for Republicans to paint Democrats as hypocrites, but they’re also a chance for Democrats to prove they keep their ethics promises. If Dems return money from or tied to Rangel and Waters (Slate’s Christopher Beam has a handy guide for deciding how to give donations back), they could show they’re keeping their promises. And while the prospect of taking two senior, progressive members of the caucus to task with midterms looming might upset the Democratic base, a rigorous investigation of Rangel and Waters in spite of party loyalty could bolster Democrats’ credibility, especially among independents.
Subscribe to Washingtonian
Follow Washingtonian on Twitter
More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Party Photos
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
Meet the 2023 Washingtonians of the Year
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Washingtonian Magazine
April 2024: Great Places to Live
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
Did Eugene Vindman Pose With a Confederate Flag?
Want to See Caitlin Clark Play in DC? Prepare to Shell Out Some $$$.
Hozier and Laufey Will Headline This Year’s All Things Go Festival
Move Over, Pennsylvania Avenue: Study Says Wharf Area Is DC’s Priciest Real Estate
DC Cyclists Aren’t Giving Up on Connecticut Avenue Bike Lanes
Why DC Has 37 Historic Districts—and the Fight Over Adding a New One
Carlos Lozada Thinks You Should Care About Political Memoirs
DC Band White Ford Bronco Weighs In on O.J. Simpson’s Death