An article, "Racial disparity: All active ethics probes focus on black lawmakers" from Politico looks at current House ethics investigations.
The House ethics committee is currently investigating seven African-American lawmakers — more than 15 percent of the total in the House. And an eighth black member, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), would be under investigation if the Justice Department hadn’t asked the committee to stand down.
Not a single white lawmaker is currently the subject of a full-scale ethics committee probe.
RESOURCE: MEMBERS OF THE BLACK CAUCUS
Senate
Roland Burris Democratic Illinois Under investigation
House of Representatives
Sanford Bishop Georgia - 2nd Under investigation
Corrine Brown Florida - 3rd
G. K. Butterfield - Secretary North Carolina - 1st
Andre Carson Indiana - 7th
Delegate Donna Christian-Christensen - 2nd Vice Chair U.S. Virgin Islands - At-large(non voting congressional delegate)
Yvette Clarke - Whip New York - 11th
William Lacy Clay, Jr. Missouri - 1st
Emanuel Cleaver - 1st Vice Chair Missouri - 5th
Jim Clyburn South Carolina - 6th
John Conyers, Jr. - Dean Michigan - 14th
Elijah Cummings Democratic Maryland - 7th
Artur Davis Democratic Alabama - 7th
Danny K. Davis Democratic Illinois - 7th
Donna Edwards Democratic Maryland - 4th
Keith Ellison Democratic Minnesota - 5th Muslim
Chaka Fattah Democratic Pennsylvania - 2nd
Marcia Fudge Democratic Ohio - 11th
Al Green Democratic Texas - 9th
Alcee Hastings Democratic Florida - 23rd (Impeached as a Federal Judge)
Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. Democratic Illinois - 2nd Under investigation ***
Eddie Bernice Johnson Democratic Texas - 30th
Hank Johnson Democratic Georgia - 4th
Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick Democratic Michigan - 13th
Barbara Lee - Chair Democratic California - 9th
Sheila Jackson Lee Democratic Texas - 18th
John Lewis Democratic Georgia - 5th Under investigation
Kendrick Meek - "Foundation Chairman Democratic Florida - 17th
Gregory Meeks Democratic New York - 6th
Gwen Moore Democratic Wisconsin - 4th
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton Democratic District of Columbia - At-large
(non voting congressional delegate)
Donald M. Payne Democratic New Jersey - 10th
Charles B. Rangel Democratic New York - 15th Under investigation ***
Laura Richardson Democratic California - 37th Under investigation
Bobby Rush Democratic Illinois - 1st
Bobby Scott Democratic Virginia - 3rd
David Scott Democratic Georgia - 13th (On Crew's 2007 Most Corrupt List)
Bennie Thompson Democratic Mississippi - 2nd (Controversal Trips)
Edolphus Towns Democratic New York - 10th
Maxine Waters Democratic California - 35th Under investigation ***
Diane Watson Democratic California - 33rd
Mel Watt Democratic North Carolina - 12th
*** On 15 Most Corrupt Members of Congress Report compiled by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Twelve of the fifteen are being investigated.
There does not seem to be an racial bias involved in the investigations. It may, in fact, be an attempt by the Democrats to clean up their party. Or, it could be that they no longer need black lawmakers with myriad ethical violations and it would be easy to throw them overboard. The caucus should be called the Black Democrat Caucus because every single member is a liberal Democrat. The investigations are being conducted by Democrats.
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