Trey Radel has bid adieu to the House of Representatives, which means — more than likely — the end of an ethics investigation into the act that got him into trouble.
The probe should go forward.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group, has called for the continuation of the investigation by the House ethics committee.
To what end? How about sending a message to lawmakers who mess up that the threat of an investigation isn’t just for political purposes, to pressure them to leave office.
Radel pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of cocaine possession when he tried to buy the drug from an undercover narcotics cop in Washington, D.C. He went into rehab, came out and then today announced his resignation from Congress, after serving for less than a full term.
He’s not the first lawmaker to leave under a cloud. Democratic Reps. David Wu of Oregon, Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois and Republican Rep. Nathan Deal of Georgia all left Congress while under investigation. Once they blew the joint, the probes ended. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., also was being investigated. He quit the Senate and the Senate ethics panel released its report a month later.
CREW thinks there’s more behind Radel’s resignation and wants questions answered. The group wants to know, for example, who introduced Radel to his drug dealer? Did Radel share his cocaine with anyone?
Ethics investigations shouldn’t be about politics. They should seek answers to why lawmakers flout the law, the rules of ethical conduct and should make strong recommendations that the entire Congress should adopt.
Sadly, this often isn’t the case. Trey Radel is but the latest example of an ethics probe that gets derailed because committee members seemingly don’t want to bother with examining the conduct of someone who’s no longer serving.
It should matter to them. They, too, serve the public — and the public deserves a Congress that behaves ethically.