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DEL.ICIO.USThe rules and players in the complaint against the Speaker
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just got out of state Sen. Eric Johnson’s news conference on the procedure for handling the ethics complaint against House Speaker Glenn Richardson.
You know the background: State Democratic party chairman Bobby Kahn, who exits his job later this month, filed a complaint with the House-Senate ethics committee, accusing Richardson of an “inappropriate” relationship with an Atlanta Gas Light lobbyist while a sponsor of a bill to ease the way for the company to construct a $300 million pipeline.
By statute, Johnson is chairman of the committee this year. He announced that Richardson had reappointed the same House members who sat on the committee last year, when the panel was first formed: House Speaker pro tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Alpharetta), and Reps. Lynn Smith (R-Newnan), Gerald Greene (D-Cuthbert) and Calvin Smyre (D-Columbus).
Johnson named his four appointments as well: Sens. Seth Harp (R-Midland), Jack Hill (r-Reidsville), George Hooks (D-Americus) and Michael Meyer von Bremen (D-Albany). Johnson said the above senators “have demonstrated the courage to deal with awkward situations.”
Two bits of news came out as well:
— First, this complaint may have to run a three-Republican gauntlet before any one can say whether it will go anywhere. By statute, each complaint is subject to a review committee, made up of three committee members: Johnson, a House Republican named by Johnson, and a senator named by Johnson (no party specified).
The review panel can dismiss the complaint if it finds it specious, without it ever reaching the full committee.
— Secondly, Johnson said they can only examine the narrow question of whether Richardson engaged in a conflict of interest. It wouldn’t get into questions of moral turpitude, etc.
Here is the sound from the news conference.
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By RJ
January 11, 2007 6:21 PM | Link to this
A good begining for a tough and necessary job. A lot of us will be studious in observing how the investigation unfolds. Thanks for the details about the mechanics.