Watchdogs slam ethics guidance on convention parties

Watchdog groups sent a scathing four-page letter to the House ethics committee Tuesday, arguing that its interpretation of new rules restricting members from participating in parties at national political conventions renders the rules “meaningless.”

The Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Democracy 21, the League of Women Voters and Public Citizen argued that the guidance opens “gaping loopholes” in the new ethics rule enacted just a few months ago. The rule is aimed at preventing lobbyists and the organizations that employ them from throwing lavish parties to honor members as a way to curry favor with them.

{mosads}“The guidance contravenes and emasculates the meaning, purpose and spirit of the new ethics rules,” they wrote. “It is also in direct conflict with a proper interpretation of similar language in the new lobbying disclosure law that was recently issued by the House clerk and the Senate secretary.”

The watchdogs want the ethics committee to withdraw the guidance and issue a new one that provides a stricter interpretation. In fact, the groups said the guidance issued on Dec. 11 provides a clear roadmap for members and lobbyists on how to circumvent and ignore the new rules at the 2008 conventions and beyond.

Specifically, they object to an interpretation that the law barring lobbyist-sponsored parties honoring members only applies if a specific member is mentioned by name. This interpretation would still allow lobbyists to sponsor bashes honoring state delegations, a caucus or a congressional committee. That rationale defies common sense and “raises basic concerns about what kind of damage the ethics committee may do to the landmark ethics reform enacted by the House this year,” according to the letter.

“Does the committee really believe, for example, that the purpose of this rule was to stop lobbying groups such as the energy industry trade associations from paying for a six-figure party to ‘honor’ a specific House member, but to allow these same trade associations to pay for such a party to honor all of the members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee?” the letter asks.

Democracy 21’s Fred Wertheimer also pointed out that even though the House ethics committee will allow these parties, lobbyists still must disclose them in their reports, as required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act.

“Any member who uses this guidance to cheat is going to find that the lobbyists who have paid for the event have disclosed this activity,” he said. “It’s going to be an interesting challenge for members to explain this interpretation to their constituents.”

Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio), who chairs the committee, referred questions to panel staff, who declined to comment.