Congressional ethics scandals are no longer shocking people because they have become nauseatingly routine. Every few weeks seems to bring another allegation involving abuse of office, campaign finance violations, sexual misconduct, personal enrichment, or some other ethics scandal.Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that Congress handles these scandals the same way nearly every time, and they end with little punishment. Investigations drag on until political pressure fades or until members leave office, at which point the investigation stops. Other times, Congress waits until after the member’s reelection to move forward with the case, then issues a watered-down punishment years later — assuming the case is even pursued at all.Congress has effectively built an ethics system in which accountability can almost always be delayed, diluted, or avoided altogether. No other workplace in America would tolerate an accountability system like this. Yet Congress has grown remarkably comfortable operating a system in which the subjects of investigations largely control the rules, timelines, and consequences governing them. In other words, the inmates are running the asylum.
As of April, congressional approval sits at just 10%, tying one of the worst marks ever recorded. And honestly, why shouldn’t it be?
