CREW Asks That Senators Stevens and Vitter Join Senator Craig

[cal04]

CREW Asks That Senators Stevens and Vitter Join Senator Craig in Relinquishing Their Committee Assignments

Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, expressed surprise that Sen. Larry Craig has been forced to relinquish his committee assignments in light of this week's revelations that he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in connection with an attempted sexual encounter with an undercover officer in a Minneapolis airport restroom.

"Senator Ted Stevens maintains his position on the Appropriations Committee despite being the subject of a major criminal investigation, including an FBI raid on his Alaska home and Senator David Vitter maintains his assignments despite admitting to the crime of soliciting a prostitute."

Sloan noted that in response to CREW's calls for Sen. Stevens to step down from his position on the Senate Appropriations Committee where he has jurisdiction over the Department of Justice's budget, Senate Minority Leader Mitchell McConnell demurred, defending Sen. Stevens. Sloan continued, "A disorderly conduct plea requires a member to give up his committee assignment, but a full-fledged bribery investigation does not. Apparently, in the view of the Republican conference there is almost nothing more serious than a member attempting to engage in gay sex."

"For consistency's sake, Senators Stevens and Vitter should both be forced to give up their committee assignments as well."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20070829/pl_usnw/crew_asks_that_senators_stevens_and_vitter_join_senator_craig_in_relinquishing_their_committee_assignments

[pingzing58]

1. here, here!

[John Q. Citizen]

2. Yes, that does make sense. n/t

[robinlynne]

3. I would much rather have a perve watching over money than Ted Stevens...

[Nimrod2005]

4. Awesome

[mod mom]

5. I don't understand the outrage over Craig but NOT Vitter. Isn't prostitution illegal?

Why the standing ovation from his colleagues?

[aranthus]

6. Here's why I don't want any of them to resign

Yes, I know that Vitter and Craig are criminals, and Stevens may be one. Yes all of that is a disgrace to America, and the US Senate. By any moral or legal standard, they should be gone. Then why do I want them to stay? Because smart Republicans want them to resign. They know that the longer they try to stay in office the better the Democratic chance to replace them in the next election. The more the public sees farces like Craig claiming he plead guilty two months after the arrest because he didn't have legal counsel, the more the public will become disgusted with the Republicans in general. If Craig, Stevens or Vitter resign this far before the election, the Republicans will be able to run someone who isn't "tainted". For the same reason, I don't want Bush to be impeached.