Kirk Watson: “How much does the majority leader underestimate the American people? For 6 months now the House Ethics Committee has…”

“How much does the majority leader underestimate the American people? For 6 months now the House Ethics Committee has been unable to meet because the Ethics Committee chairman refuses to abide by the committee's own rules. And now, this week, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) says it is the Democrats who are keeping the committee from meeting because, according to him, they want to delay his case before the Ethics Committee until an election year. If the majority leader really wants his case heard before the Ethics Committee, he should persuade the Ethics Committee chairman to abide by the ethics rules and appoint a nonpartisan staff director. The rules of the committee are clear that the staff be assembled and retained as a professional nonpartisan staff. If the gentleman from Washington (Chairman Hastings) is allowed to appoint his chief of staff, he would be breaking the committee rules by having a partisan staffer on the committee. Democrats want the Ethics Committee to play by the rules. Please play by the rules. ____________________”