Stephanie Tubbs Jones to Chair Ethics Committee

Administrator - Posted on 20 December 2006

Today Stephanie Tubbs Jones was picked to chair the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.
From openers:

She said she will work with Pelosi on whatever changes are proposed or implemented, and will also work to improve the perception of the House, where there are 435 members -- and, she said, only a small number with conduct problems, whose behavior has been brought to account.

Ladies and gents, I'd expect to see a stronger, more active Committee under the Congresswoman from Ohio's 11th.

Ethics and travel

Submitted by Himself on Wed, 12/20/2006 - 5:15pm.

Stephanie TJ was among the top travelers in the entire congress over the last few years.

Some question her credibility when it comes to much-needed restrictions on junkets and the likes of lobbyist funded Scottish golf trips.

"Some"?

Submitted by AmberCat on Wed, 12/20/2006 - 7:18pm.

Actually, you have to massage the figures quite a bit to get that she is somehow one of the most compromised members of the House and lacking in "crediblity" because of her travel (which as far as I could tell wasn't all that excessive when this came up a year or so ago.) But "some people say" just about anything, i guess.

re-read

Submitted by Himself on Thu, 12/21/2006 - 11:33am.

Where do I say she is "one of the most compromised members of Congress?"

Statistics

Submitted by TrueBlue on Thu, 12/21/2006 - 7:10am.

TrueBlue It is good to back up comments with actual facts instead of using the word "some." How much travelling did Stephanie TJ do? How does that rank with other congressmen. Who paid for the trips? What sort of trips did she go on? Since representatives in Congress have to vote on subjects for which they may only have limited knowledge or experience, I understand that a reasonable amount of travel may be necessary. How many of Stephanie TJs trips were similar to the DeLay Scotland golf junket? Did she take relatives on her trips? Until we find out some facts and/or see that TJ is giving an unquestioned pass to colleagues' questionable behavior, I'm willing to think possitively of her selection.

Submitted by Himself on Thu, 12/21/2006 - 11:01am.

I never said what she did was improper. I said "some" questioned her credibility when she is apparently the 3rd ranking member in terms of numbers of trips. See below: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The Cleveland Plain Dealer, the hometown paper of Rep. Tubbs-Jones, focused on her extensive free travel: "Tubbs Jones notes that her 75 free trips since 2000, the third most of anyone in Congress, were within the bounds of congressional rules. She said the privately paid travel, whether to Barbados, Boston, Miami or Panama City - some of her destinations this year - helped her better understand issues and do her job. A number of trips were for speeches and events sponsored by nonprofit groups such as the National Bar Association and Delta Sigma Theta sorority. Tubbs Jones' free transportation, lodging and meals since 2000 were valued at $101,220, according to PoliticalMoneyLine, which tracks congressional travel. Trips to the Caribbean basin sponsored by the Carib News Foundation "connect leadership of the Caribbean with African-American members of Congress, just as the Jewish members of Congress are connected with Israel," Tubbs Jones said. The countries are beautiful, she said, but "a member of Congress must travel if you're making decisions on international issues." None of Tubbs Jones' trips has been linked to influence peddling. On a separate travel-related matter, however, Tubbs Jones reimbursed her political campaign after a Federal Election Commission audit found $8,311 in campaign credit-card charges from 2001 and 2002 suspected of being for personal use, including the purchases of jewelry, art and clothing. "That was a campaign issue, and it was an oversight on my part," she said Tuesday."

It's also ancient news

Submitted by AmberCat on Fri, 12/22/2006 - 11:47am.

and clearly there was nothing there becuase in the intervening years it would have come out- god knows the GOP has been trying. Sorry, but this is a non-starter. I recall reading this story a long time ago. What's the date on it again?

the day after

Submitted by RMC2000 on Fri, 12/22/2006 - 11:53am.

she was appointed to chair the committee.

date

Submitted by Himself on Fri, 12/22/2006 - 3:35pm.

Two days ago. Weds., Dec. 20, 2006.