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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and two other Democrats who vowed to clean up a "culture of corruption" on Capitol Hill are under fire for violating federal ethics law. One pro-family leader describes the revelation as a "disappointing start" by the Democrat-controlled Congress but also "not a surprise."

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U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and two other Democrats who vowed to clean up a "culture of corruption" on Capitol Hill are under fire for violating a 1978 federal ethics law. One Family Research Council (FRC) spokesman is highlighting the violations as a poor showing from a Democrat-controlled Congress that claimed it would make history as the most ethical ever.

USA Today reports that Pelosi, fourth-ranking House Democrat Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh all failed to disclose they are officers of their family charities. Members of Congress are required by law to file yearly reports on their personal finances, including any positions they hold with businesses or non-profits.

Tom McCluskey, the FRC's vice president for government affairs, says it has been a disappointing start for a Democrat-led Congress that pledged to be the "most open and honest" in history. However, of the Democratic leaders' ethics violations, he observes, "This is not a surprise."

In fact, McCluskey points out, "This is exactly the charge that they were going after Tom DeLay about; he was trying to raise money for a family charity also." And of the Democrats' claim that this Congress would be history's most open and honest, he contends, "We've heard that before. We heard that from the pre-1994 Congress, and a number of them ended up in prison."

But the House Democrats do not have a corner on failing to live up to that promise of high ethical standards, the FRC government affairs spokesman observes. "Unfortunately, we heard it from the last Republican Congress," he notes, "and a lot of them are also serving time instead of serving their country."

Still, McCluskey acknowledges, although Pelosi and her cadre are apparently not following through on their commitment to running the cleanest Congress in history, the situation the three House Democrats failed to disclose is one that "happens all over the place" and on both sides of the aisle. "And there should at least be openness about it, a little sunshine on it," he adds.

"It doesn't mean onerous reporting requirements," the pro-family official explains, "but just, at least, if your wife is the head lobbyist for the airline industry and you're the Senate majority leader, as happened with Tom Daschle, then it should be public knowledge. It shouldn't come as a surprise to people that your wife is lobbying Congress when you're such a powerful member."

A spokesman for Pelosi says her failure to disclose her charity role was a simple "oversight" and her reports will be amended. The Speaker came under scrutiny earlier this month after it was revealed that a large tuna company in her California district had been exempted from a minimum wage hike pushed through by House Democrats.
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