The Knucklehead of the Day award

Today's winner is Democratic Congressman John Conyers. He gets the award for the following.

The U.S. House ethics committee has closed its investigation of Detroit Congressman John Conyers, with him agreeing to take several steps to ensure his staff does not work on his personal or campaign business.

The committee, formally known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, opened the investigation in 2003 to look into allegations that Conyers staff members worked on the Detroit City Council campaign of JoAnn Watson and the presidential campaign of Carol Moseley Braun while getting paid by taxpayers.

The inquiry expanded after former staffers alleged that Conyers made them baby-sit his two children, help his wife with her law studies and run personal errands for him.

According to a statement released Friday by Chairman Doc Hastings, a Washington state Republican, and the committee's ranking Democrat, Howard L. Berman of California, Conyers told committee investigators there was a "lack of clarity" in his communications with staff about their official duties and responsibilities.

Hastings and Berman said Conyers, a Democrat, "accepted responsibility for his actions."

After reviewing information gathered during the inquiry, the committee concluded -- without commenting on whether there was any wrongdoing or not -- that the matter would best be resolved by Conyers taking steps to make sure his office complies with rules and standards regarding campaign and personal work.

Conyers agreed to prohibit his congressional staff from performing any paid or voluntary campaign work during the coming term of Congress, unless the staff member takes a paid position on his campaign while on leave without pay from the office and obtains prior written approval from the ethics committee.

Conyers who has served in Congress over years(Not the longest term either in Congress or for a representative from Michigan. John Dingell has been in Congress since 1955.) apparently feels the rules and laws don't apply to him. It happens to politicians in both parties, especially ones who have been in office for a long time. TFM doesn't like this behavior from either party. You can't tell me Conyers didn't know his staffers were helping his wife?

The Congressman accepts responsibility for his actions and while he is at it, John Conyers can accept today's Knucklehead of the Day award.

Hat tip- Captain's Quarters
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