[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 95 (Wednesday, July 19, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1459]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  SUPPORT FOR REPRESENTATIVE MOLLOHAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOEL HEFLEY

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 19, 2006

  Mr. HEFLEY. Mr. Speaker, there is enough blame to go around. The 
minority leadership of the House has politicized the ethics process for 
partisan political gain. Likewise, the majority party has tried to take 
control of the ethics process again for partisan reasons.
  I have been encouraged recently that the House Ethics Committee is 
again taking action in investigative matters. I am disappointed, 
however, that Representative Alan Mollohan (D-WV), the former ranking 
minority member, is being given blame by some for inactivity of the 
committee over the last 16 months.
  If I put myself in Representative Mollohan's position, I am not sure 
I would have acted any differently. The House Ethics Committee is the 
only House committee that has an even number of Republicans and 
Democrats. Due to the nature of the committee and the important work it 
conducts, all committee activity should be conducted on a bipartisan 
basis.
  As I review the events at the start of the 109th Congress, it leads 
me to the conclusion that several important actions were conducted by 
the majority without consulting the minority. These partisan actions 
were contrary to the nature and spirit of the way business has been, 
and should be, conducted by the Ethics Committee. If I had been the 
ranking member of the Ethics Committee and the majority party had 
arbitrarily and unilaterally changed the rules I would have had an 
obligation to react, just as Representative Mollohan did. If I had been 
the ranking member and the majority party unilaterally fired the senior 
committee staff in contradiction to rules which say both the majority 
and minority must agree, I would have had to react, just as 
Representative Mollohan did. If I had been the ranking member and the 
majority party tried to put a partisan chief of staff in as the staff 
director for the Ethics Committee in contradiction to the standards of 
a nonpartisan staff I would have had to react, just as Representative 
Mollohan did.
  In other words, I feel Representative Mollohan did exactly what was 
expected of him as the ranking minority member when the bipartisan 
nature of the ethics process was unilaterally challenged by the 
majority. He had the courage to stand up to partisan actions when he 
should have.
  My experience with Representative Mollohan when we served together on 
the Ethics Committee during the 108th Congress is that he was 
completely nonpartisan and that he would absolutely take no 
instructions from his leadership on the conduct of the Ethics 
Committee. That was my philosophy as well, and should be the stance of 
all who serve on this important committee.
  Representative Mollohan has recently been dealing with some other 
issues that I know nothing about and won't speak to, but as the 
committee chairman I couldn't have asked for a more thoughtful and 
considerate ranking member to work with.
  His successor as ranking minority member on the Ethics Committee, 
Representative Howard Berman (D-CA), is an excellent choice. I have 
also worked with Representative Berman on the committee and I have the 
highest respect for him.
  In conclusion, it is apparent to me that the leadership of both 
parties have forgotten the importance of a bipartisan ethics process in 
the House. The Ethics Committee proved during the 108th Congress that, 
working in a bipartisan manner, it could handle politically sensitive 
and difficult cases.
  Both parties need to return to a bipartisan Ethics Committee and 
bipartisan ethics process or the House as a whole will continue to 
suffer.

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