Washington, D.C. is an absolute cesspool of corruption — a place that President Donald Trump has notoriously nicknamed “The Swamp.”
But some members of Congress are worse… a whole lot worse… than others.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) recently released its list of the top ethics violators for 2018. And both the Republican and Democratic parties saw some of their top brass make the list.
Tied for #1: House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
It’s hard to argue with this one. Both Ryan and McConnell presided over Congressional programs that used taxpayer money to pay off victims of sexual assault and discrimination. And they’ve both been less than forthcoming with details about the slush fund.
Other members of Congress who made the list include:
Former Congresswoman Elizabeth Etsy (D-CT):
Etsy has been accused of covering up physically threatening and abusive behavior by her former chief of staff.
Disturbingly, Etsy continued employing her former chief for months after learning about the allegations.
Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Kamala Harris (D-FL):
Both Warren and Harris, considered contenders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, raised campaign funds off of the confirmation vote for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. As FACT points out, this is likely a violation of Senate ethics rules.
Russell Taub (former Republican Congressional candidate from Rhode Island):
FACT accuses Taub of illegally running a political action committee that did not distribute $1.5 million it raised to political candidates.
Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL):
Nelson bizarrely claimed that Florida voting machines had been tampered with, presumably due to Russian meddling.
Even if that were true, Nelson may have publicly disseminated classified information.
Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY):
FACT filed a complaint against Clarke for allegedly failing to report $120,000 in taxpayer funds connected to equipment in her office that went missing. The missing equipment, connected to a former IT aide, became a national scandal.
— David Martin is a reporter with The Horn News