Rep. Fossella Slammed With Ethics Complaint
UPDATE: A Washington ethics watchdog group wants the House ethics committee to investigate whether Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.) violated House rules by romancing his mistress on taxpayer-funded congressional delegation trips abroad.
The left-leaning Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, known as CREW, has sent an ethics complaint against Fossella to the ethics panel, officially called the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.
The group called on the panel to investigate Fossella's May 1 drunken driving charge in Alexandria, Va., as well as reports that he and his mistress, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Laura Fay, traveled together on taxpayer-funded CODELS while they were carrying on a romantic relationship. CREW noted "Fossella allegedly was the solo member of Congress who traveled to France in January 2003 in Lt. Col. Fay's company" and cited the ethics manual, which states that a House member's travel must not "create the appearance that the individual is using public office for private gain."
Fay was an official military liaison to Congress whose job was to accompany lawmakers on their overseas CODELS. CREW executive director Melanie Sloan, citing published reports (such as this one by the New York Daily News), said, "Having an affair is one thing, conducting it at taxpayer expense is quite another. If that's what happened, the Ethics Committee should hold him accountable."
As for the DWI charge, the watchdog group cited the House ethics manual's rule that a member is subject to investigation "whenever a member is charged with criminal conduct, whether felony or misdemeanor charges."
When asked, Fossella spokeswoman Susan Del Percio had no comment to CREW's ethics complaint against Fossella.
By
Mary Ann Akers
|
May 19, 2008; 12:15 PM ET
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Posted by: Allain Jules | May 19, 2008 12:48 PM | Report abuse
Weather this is a Democrat or Republican, makes no matter to me,his conduct needs to be investigated, or just get rid of the rules...case closed. Our public figures need to be held to a higher standard. If this happened to anyone else, they would/could possibly lose their job. I can't understand why public figures/elected officials should be held to a lower standard.Peace
Posted by: IamadasheII | May 19, 2008 1:39 PM | Report abuse
I can see the DUI, but the affair seems to be pushing it a bit. These types of accusations are easily made but difficult to prove. I suspect that the committee will not take up the charge because 1) evidence will be hard to come by, and 2) most of those yo-yo congressmen all do it themselves!
Posted by: RedRat | May 19, 2008 1:44 PM | Report abuse
Vito Fosella = Hypocrite scum.
I don't care who he has sex with. Its his "Republicans-are-holier-than-thou-onward-christian-soldier-busted-drunk-driving-cheating-on-my-wife-with-your-tax-dollars" HYPOCRISY that peeves me.
NEO-CONS are all alike.
Posted by: JBE | May 19, 2008 3:17 PM | Report abuse
He should just become a Democrat and the story will disappear.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 19, 2008 4:37 PM | Report abuse
Wow. The election is really heating up now. And the results from this poll say everything. You won't believe these results!
Posted by: Barack | May 19, 2008 5:13 PM | Report abuse
WOW
Posted by: spam | May 19, 2008 7:44 PM | Report abuse
Does Mary Ann Akers color the issue inappropriately by characterizing CREW as "left leaning"? Or is she generally fair and balanced? Does she refer to herself as an employee of "Corporate Media." Does she or should she refer to MSNBC, CNN, ABC and CBS as "Unapologetic Conduits for Pentagon Propagandists and Profit Driven Advertisers?" or Fox News as "The Republican/Neocon House Organ"?
Yrs truly,
Michael C, a Web-Reading Pro-Democracy and Pro-Environment Citizen
Posted by: Michael C | May 19, 2008 9:20 PM | Report abuse
Oh how it warms my heart to see the practice of republikan family values.
Posted by: plzgetreal | May 19, 2008 11:19 PM | Report abuse
I agree this creep should be investigated! And for those that support him and those illegal GOP ways, please exit our country quickly... we have had about enough of your evangalistic, neo-conservative, corrupt and evil nazi ways... if you don't like OUR constitution and refuse to learn it and abide by it, you will be held accountable soon! whether it is through a court system or a system you won't like! We've had enough!
imprison the bush whackos and the GOP party affiliates now! place bank freezes on all their assets until ALL investigations and convictions are completed! Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, Gates and the many others will be tried on war crimes soon! Your day is coming and you better watch out! Time to pick your side... either you're an American and understand and LIVE the constitution, or you are not and you are a traitor and a crimminal in our country!
Posted by: Darmar40 | May 20, 2008 8:39 AM | Report abuse
Mary Ann is an ignorant skank. I doubt she's even being paid for this drivel. probalby an intern.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 20, 2008 9:30 AM | Report abuse
@ Iamadashell
I believe the word you are looking for is "whether", as in either, not "weather", as in climate conditions.
Posted by: Buckaroo | May 20, 2008 7:29 PM | Report abuse
"He should just become a Democrat and the story will disappear."
Give me a break. The reason that the public and the media keep this out there is because of the Republicans' pathetic self-righteousness and their "do as I say, not as I do" mentality. Watching these hypocritical knuckle-draggers squirm is pure entertainment.
Posted by: Dave | May 21, 2008 7:46 AM | Report abuse
The story wouldn't disappear if he became a Democrat, it would change. He would become an American hero
Posted by: Anonymous | May 21, 2008 10:47 AM | Report abuse
SOMEOME SAID:
Vito Fosella = Hypocrite scum.
I don't care who he has sex with. Its his "Republicans-are-holier-than-thou-onward-christian-soldier-busted-drunk-driving-cheating-on-my-wife-with-your-tax-dollars" HYPOCRISY that peeves me.
NEO-CONS are all alike.
Don't you think Most Men, if not All are like that? Women probably get away with infidelities of all sorts a lot more than anyone one can imagine. Government workers are human beings no different than anyone out there in Society. Does anyone have more right than anyone else without injecting Money, Power and Hypocracy? "Every human being is a hypocrat, it's in the Degree of Hypocracy that makes each individual different." So says SOCIETY1!!!
Posted by: SOCIETY1 | May 21, 2008 12:03 PM | Report abuse
NEOCONS FASCISTS COMING TO TAKE ME AWAY
Posted by: I zhit in my mouth | May 21, 2008 3:43 PM | Report abuse
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