Dianne Feinstein: “there have been a variety of proposals for what has been called an Office of Public Integrity. The Senate voted 67 to 30…”

“there have been a variety of proposals for what has been called an Office of Public Integrity. The Senate voted 67 to 30 against one such proposal last year. Last time, Senators Johnson and Voinovich, the chairs of the Ethics Committee, stood in opposition. This time, the new chairs of the Ethics Committee, Senators Boxer and Cornyn, stand in opposition. I recognize the strong interest in this issue, especially by Senators Lieberman, Collins, Obama, Feingold, McCain, and others. I have spoken with Senator Obama about it. I have assured him that we would hold a hearing in the Rules Committee and that we would take a look at this proposal and what might or might not be done. I will vote against this amendment, and I will see that the Rules Committee and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hold these hearings. They will focus on these proposals and ways of strengthening ethics enforcement in the Senate. Let me say this now. I do believe we need to take great care in how we do this. Yes, we need to reassure the public that those who run afoul of the Senate rules will be held accountable. But we must make sure this does not simply become a new tool used by political opponents who would seek to manipulate the political process by filing false claims. You can be sure that the minute a claim becomes public, without any verification as to its veracity, and is released to the public, that claim will be a 30-second spot in someone's campaign.”