Jun 4, 2007 -- Indictment of Rep. Jefferson: Statement of Meredith McGehee, Campaign Legal Center Policy Director

While taking note that Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) is innocent until proven guilty, his indictment should serve as a clarion call for Congress to follow through on its promise to "drain the swamp." The House must create an ethics enforcement process that actually holds Members accountable to the new lobbying and ethics bills. Without proper enforcement, those changes will be little more than words on a page, and the scandals will not let up.

With nothing to fear from the ethics committee, too many Members are emboldened to attempt to stop just short of drawing the attention of the Department of Justice. Without any meaningful checks from an effective ethics process, many Members fly too close to the flame.

The indictment of Rep. Jefferson is a reminder that it is time for the Speaker's Ethics Task Force to step up to the plate with strong recommendations for an outside panel with real teeth because the current system has lost all credibility. The fact that some have been burned does not mean the current ethics enforcement system is working; it only means that the criminal justice system is working. The American people deserve better from their elected representatives.

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