Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ) faces accusations that he used campaign funds for family trips. He is currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for taking trips to Scotland and the west coast, and billing the campaign because his kids were on the trips and they were “campaign volunteers.” Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) appointed Andrews to a leadership post in the party, and as the ethics investigation builds steam, she and other Democratic leaders are showing no interest in asking Andrews to step down from that party post.
To a person, the Democrats are backing Andrews, with Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) offering the clearest defense of why: “You’re not going to convict somebody just because there’s an allegation. That’s not America,” he said.
That’s not how Democrats behave when a Republican is the target, and members of the Congressional Black Caucus have noticed that that’s not how the Democratic leadership behaves when the accused isn’t white like Andrews.
“It bears notice that Pelosi appointed Mr. Andrews to a leadership position in the midst of this investigation,” the [chief of staff of a Congressional Black Caucus member] said. “That is in direct contrast to the approach taken with similarly situated members of the Black Caucus, who routinely faced pressure to step away from leadership posts during investigations.
“Her commitment to fairness will be tested in how she responds to this announcement.”
Pelosi promised the Democrats would lead the most ethical Congress ever, and she personally promised to “drain the swamp” of unethical behavior.
She never promised to drain the Democratic Party of racial double-standards, though. When Rep. Charlie Rangel of New York was under ethics investigation, Pelosi repeatedly asked him to step down from his committee chairmanship.
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