Frank Pallone: “I was shocked to learn that Speaker Gingrich had suddenly dissolved the ethics task force, and this Tuesday night…”

“I was shocked to learn that Speaker Gingrich had suddenly dissolved the ethics task force, and this Tuesday night massacre I hope does not effectively end bipartisan ethics reform. After 4 months of work, a bipartisan task force voted 11 to 1 in support of an ethics reform package, but none of us will ever see the fruits of their labor, just hours before it issued its report. While the task force reviewed the rules and made its recommendations, both Democrats and Republicans agreed to a 6-month moratorium on all ethics complaints. Now it appears that the entire process was merely a political device to shield Members from ethics complaints and to delay investigations. Speaker Gingrich is the last person who should be thwarting ethics reform. He should not have the final word on this. He should allow the task force to issue its report, and allow the House to vote on this bipartisan reform proposal.”