Blog | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
On Saturday, a Washington Post editorial excoriated Senator Pete Domenici's lack of remorse for the unethical behavior of interfering with a U.S. Attorney. The subhead of the Post's editorial read, " The senator dodges accountability for his unethical behavior." He did.
CREW thinks the Senate Ethics Committee is also at fault. As Melanie Sloan said Friday, "The committee’s effort to minimize its reprimand of Senator Domenici itself reflects poorly on the Senate."
Here's a couple of key passages from the Post's editorial:
WHEN YOU'RE caught doing or saying something inappropriate, you can acknowledge your error and apologize. Or you can issue the modified limited hangout apology, saying that you are sorry if anyone was offended, if your actions caused pain, etc. Unfortunately, Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.) chose the latter route in response to the determination by his peers -- the Senate ethics committee -- that some of his actions "created an appearance of impropriety that reflected unfavorably on the Senate."
.....
Although the panel said it appreciated the senator's "candor" in saying last year that he regretted making the call, Mr. Domenici's statement Thursday was devoid of any acknowledgment that he had overstepped. Indeed, it seemed to go out of its way to explain the limited nature of his previous apology. "I regret the distraction this controversy has caused my colleagues, my staff, my family and, most importantly, my constituents," the statement said. Mr. Domenici suffers from health problems and is retiring at the end of this Congress after a distinguished Senate career. It's too bad he will depart on this unbecoming note.
