- WASHINGTON, DC -- Judicial
Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government
corruption, reacted strongly today to a front page news story in The Washington
Post which confirmed how Republicans and Democrats in Congress have called
a "truce" and agreed not to launch ethics inquiries into the
alleged misdeeds of Congress members.
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- As Judicial Watch always suspected, according to the
article, entitled "Ethics Probes Decline on Hill, Parties' Truce Leads
to Inaction," Democrats and Republicans have agreed on a course of
"Mutually Assured Destruction" on ethics issues:
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- They agreed to a conditional cease-fire in the ethics
war, according to several lawmakers and aides involved in private talks
about the ethics process. (To view the article, see. www.JudicialWatch.org)
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- As a result, according to the piece, ethics investigations
were killed in their cradle over fears of retaliation and Congress has
made it nearly impossible for outside groups such as Judicial Watch to
use the Congressional ethics process to uncover wrongdoing.
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- Judicial Watch has always assumed the major political
parties had this corrupt deal during the Clinton years and believes that
it is the reason there are virtually no investigations by the Bush Administration
into Clinton era or Democratic misdeeds. (The big next test for the Bush
Administration will be the decision by its Justice Department whether to
prosecute Hillary and Bill Clinton over illegal fundraising and extortion
related to Mrs. Clinton's 2000 Senate race. Judicial Watch represents Peter
Paul, the Hollywood entrepreneur, who gave Hillary Clinton over $2 million
which was never reported as required by law.)
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- "Today's news report confirms Judicial Watch's 'reason
for being.' The institutional processes in Congress for policing ethical
and criminal transgressions have collapsed over threats of 'Mutually Agreed
Destruction.' This 'truce' on ethics inquiries is like something out The
Godfather. Without groups such as Judicial Watch, it is clear that corrupt
congressmen will continue to get away with murder," stated Judicial
Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman.
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- Judicial Watch has independent legal actions concerning
alleged corruption by Congressman Dick Gephardt, Senator Tom Daschle, and
Congressman Tom Delay.
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