Congressman's bribery plea sparks call to deny pensions

[Thom Little]

Republican House members disturbed that their former GOP colleague Randy "Duke" Cunningham will get to keep his pension despite pleading guilty to bribery want to pass a law to strip federal pensions from white-collar criminals.

Under federal law, only a conviction for a crime against the United States, such as treason or espionage, can cause a member of Congress or other federal employee to lose his or her government pension. That means Cunningham, a San Diego-area Republican, will keep his pension despite admitting taking $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors and others in exchange for government contracts.

Cunningham's congressional pension would be around $40,000 per year, according to an Office of Personnel Management formula. He resigned last month and faces 10 years in prison when he's sentenced in February.

"It's time to reassure the American people that we are serious about upholding ethical standards," Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., said Wednesday.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20051214-1136-congressman-bribery.html

[tom swift]

1. Pensions

I imagine they'll hold off on passing that until after they see what happens to DeLay. God forbid he'd have to go back to sniffing bug spray.

[Oceansaway]

2. we'll see....n/t

[Trillo]

3. Oh, yeah, the old lie,

we're all equal (except when we obviously aren't)

Perhaps the severity of punishment should instead be progressive to one's position and ability to influence. At the Top of Heirachy? Receive strictest financial penalty. At the low end of pecking order? Having been there is punishment enough.

[aquart]

4. Lee Terry? What are his poll numbers? Who's running against him?

What caused these sudden ethical standards?

[David Zephyr]

5. SCOTUS allows seizing Social Security checks for far less.

How can a prominent government official take bribes related to our national defense and keep his pension when the Supreme Court just ruled that a poor, disabled retiree can have his Social Security check seized for not paying a student loan decades earlier.

Two standards of justice in the U.S. delivered by Republican Lawmakers, a Republican White House and the Republican Courts.

[madmom]

6. let's see bribes from defense contractors????sounds like espionage to me.