C. Simon Davidson
| Jan. 31, 2012, Midnight
It is OK to provide services to contributors. In fact, the Senate Ethics Manual specifically says that providing constituent services to contributors is “a legitimate and appropriate senatorial function.” However, as the Senate Ethics Committee has acknowledged, things are a little more complicated when requests for help come from contributors.
C. Simon Davidson
| Jan. 17, 2012, Midnight
Q: A friend and I have been following former Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) appeal of his conviction for bribery. Over the holidays, I read that the appeal could significantly impact federal law regarding bribery. Can you help me understand what is at stake in Jefferson’s appeal?
C. Simon Davidson
| Dec. 6, 2011, Midnight
By the end of 2010, it was fair to ask whether the latest ethics boom had begun to wane. 2011 answered that question with a bang. For the time being, at least, government ethics remains in the spotlight. Ethics scandals, investigations, and other similar news-making events were all part of 2011.
C. Simon Davidson
| Nov. 15, 2011, Midnight
Q: A senior staffer in our office recently told me that he is seeking a job in the private sector. He has already interviewed with a number of firms and plans to interview with a few more, but he has yet to schedule interviews. I am pretty sure that there was a rule change a few years back requiring staffers to report job negotiations with outside employers in order to prevent conflicts of interest. But the senior staffer hasn’t done so. Should I report him to the Ethics Committee?
C. Simon Davidson
| Nov. 1, 2011, Midnight
It is not illegal for House staffers to work on campaigns. But doing so is not without risk. In fact, a handful of laws are implicated whenever Hill staff work on campaigns, each carrying its own risks.
C. Simon Davidson
| Oct. 18, 2011, Midnight
Q: I work for a lobbying firm, and I have a question about possible changes to the executive branch gift rules. A lobbyist friend of mine told me that the changes would eliminate some important exceptions to the ban on gifts to executive branch employees.
C. Simon Davidson
| Oct. 4, 2011, Midnight
On June 3, the Department of Justice filed an indictment against John Edwards for alleged violations of federal campaign finance laws related to his affair. The case against Edwards hinges on whether payments made by associates qualify as campaign contributions.
C. Simon Davidson
| Sept. 13, 2011, Midnight
Essentially, the question is whether people can face liability even when they do not realize what they are doing is wrong. In the case of criminal law, the answer is usually no. However, it is possible to violate civil statutes and face sanctions even if you have no idea that what you are doing is wrong.
C. Simon Davidson
| July 26, 2011, Midnight
The question is whether the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act includes similar training requirements for lobbyists. Technically, the answer is no. But, that is not the end of the story. Although the law imposes no formal legal requirement that lobbyists receive ethics training, it does include other provisions that could make training a good idea.
C. Simon Davidson
| June 28, 2011, Midnight
Last week, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics filed an ethics complaint against Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), alleging he committed bribery by threatening to block a proposed pay raise for Interior Secretary Ken Salazar unless Salazar’s department issued a minimum number of deep-water exploratory permits in the Gulf.
C. Simon Davidson
| June 14, 2011, Midnight
House ethics standards not only permit Members to communicate with agencies on behalf of constituents, they downright encourage it. But Members must be careful of what they say to agency employees, how they say it and when they say it.
C. Simon Davidson
| May 31, 2011, Midnight
Former Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) resigned last month amid a Senate Ethics Committee investigation of his conduct relating to an affair with a former campaign worker. According to the committee's report, the conduct that could expose Ensign to liability is not the affair itself, but rather what he did after the affair.
C. Simon Davidson
| May 17, 2011, Midnight
While people often assume that communications with attorneys are privileged and confidential, Members and staffers should be aware that not all such communications are.
C. Simon Davidson
| May 3, 2011, Midnight
For purposes of the ethics rules, there is an important distinction between private relief organizations like yours and organizations like the U.S. Agency for International Development — and it has nothing to do with which country benefits from the organization’s relief efforts.
C. Simon Davidson
| April 5, 2011, Midnight
Q: As an employee in the political affairs department of a small company, I have been following the news that Fiesta Bowl executives asked employees to make political contributions and then reimbursed the employees with Fiesta Bowl funds. No one at my company has ever asked me to make a political contribution or offered to reimburse me for one. But reading the stories about the Fiesta Bowl makes me wonder what I would do if my boss ever put me in that situation.
C. Simon Davidson
| March 15, 2011, Midnight
Q: I have a question regarding whether people outside Congress can face liability for conduct during Members’ travel expense certification process. The reason for my question is that I heard that an employee of the Carib News Foundation was in trouble for submitting false travel forms to the House Ethics Committee regarding travel expenses the foundation paid for certain Members. This didn’t make sense to me, though, because I thought that Congressional ethics committees do not have jurisdiction over people outside of Congress. What gives?
C. Simon Davidson
| March 1, 2011, Midnight
Q: I have a question about whether Members of the House can hold outside jobs while in office. Although I have never been politically active, I was so disappointed by the results of the last election in our district that I am considering throwing my hat in the ring next year. I have a large family that is dependent on the income I receive as a senior manager at a large multinational corporation. Joining the House would result in a substantial pay cut. The only way that I could pull it off, I think, is if I kept my outside job on a part-time basis.
C. Simon Davidson
| Feb. 15, 2011, Midnight
Q: I am little embarrassed even to ask a question like this, but here it goes. I met a great guy at a cocktail reception last week, and we really seemed to hit it off. I didn’t hear from him again until yesterday, when he sent me three dozen beautiful red long-stem roses for Valentine’s Day. A little forward, I suppose, but I must admit that I am thrilled with them. My question is whether the fact that I happen to be a House staffer means I cannot keep the flowers. Please say I can keep them. They are stunning, and I really don’t want to mess this up.
C. Simon Davidson
| Feb. 1, 2011, Midnight
Q: I am chief of staff for a Member of the House who was recently named to a new committee position that will require an increase in his number of official trips overseas. I therefore want to make sure I have a good handle on the rules regarding expenses for these trips. In particular, I know that Members on these trips receive a per diem stipend for meals and other expenses. Are Members required to keep track of their use of this stipend? May they use the funds for meals of foreign officials? And must Members return unused per diem funds? Sorry for all the questions, but I am confused by what appears to be conflicting guidance on these issues.
