Democrat culture of corruption

Ethics Committee finds Rep. Laura Richardson guilty on seven counts The House Ethics Committee issued a report on Wednesday finding Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Calif.) guilty on seven counts of violating the chamber’s rules by improperly pressuring her staff to campaign for her, destroying evidence and tampering with witness testimony. The panel recommended that the House adopt the report and approve a formal reprimand of Richardson for her actions. Richardson has agreed to pay a fine of $10,000 within four months and require staffers who work on her campaign to sign a waiver stating that they haven’t been pressured to do so. The verdict comes as Richardson faces one of the toughest member-on-member races this year against fellow Democrat Rep. Janice Hahn (Calif.). The Ethics committee said it found Richardson guilty of “requiring or compelling her official staff to perform campaign work” and “obstructing the investigation of the committee and the [investigative subcommittee] through the alteration or destruction of evidence.” The panel’s chairman, Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.), and ranking member Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) said Richardson deliberately failed “to produce documents responsive to requests for information and a subpoena” and attempted “to influence the testimony of witnesses.” On top of the fine and guidelines for campaign work, Richardson's punishment will be completed when the House adopts the ethics panel’s 21-page report on her misconduct, according to the committee. Richardson’s office said she has agreed to pay a fine and accept the reprimand, but also contended that the congresswoman would only be able to provide a full defense of her actions if she were to undergo an ethics trial, which she opted not to do. “Representative Richardson takes this matter with the utmost seriousness and takes full responsibility for her actions and those that were done by anyone else under her employ,” said her office in a statement. “The settlement to which Rep. Richardson has agreed provides for resolution of this Ethics Committee investigation without an adjudicatory hearing at which she would be able to present a full defense,” the statement reads. “Such a hearing, however, would consume many more months and considerable time and attention during a period in which Rep. Richardson and the House will be better served considering matters of critical importance to her constituents and to the American people.”