Republicans who can't be bothered to be sworn into office - now this is just uber-lazy

January 14, 2011

First the Oath, Then the Checks

It was bad enough that Representative Mike Fitzpatrick, a Republican of Pennsylvania, skipped the oath-taking ceremony for the new Congress and still cast votes after he showed up in the chamber. Six of his votes were nullified, as were some from Pete Sessions, a Republican of Texas, who also ducked the swearing-in.
The two lawmakers contended they were legitimate because they watched the swearing-in on television at what was initially described as a simple party for constituents where they chimed in on the oath — much like small children used to when becoming official Mouseketeers before the TV screen.
Then came the ultimate embarrassment: Mr. Fitzpatrick turned out to be absent because he was holding a fund-raising party at the neighboring Capitol visitors’ center — a campaign donation event that House rules expressly forbid on Capitol grounds. It did not help that Representative Sessions, the chairman of the House Republicans’ campaign committee, was at his side.
Work has barely begun and the new Congress is already stirring fresh business for the House’s Office of Congressional Ethics. The incident should be thoroughly investigated and referred to the House ethics committee. It should be an early and clear warning to members that fund-raising, as 24/7 as it is in Washington, must not take precedence over lawmaking, even though too many members behave otherwise.
The finally sworn-in congressmen apologized to the House, with Mr. Fitzpatrick’s office maintaining there was no fund-raiser, only a transportation fee of $30 per head for the bus ride from home. But his local newspaper, The Morning Call of Allentown, reported that the invitation to “Mike Fitzpatrick’s Swearing In Celebration” solicited contributions of $30, $60, $120 and above. It also included a standard form for making contributions to the overeager congressman.