Dan Moll, a fundraiser for Burton who was working on the House's civil-service subcommittee at the time, was overheard by a source trying to shake down money from a possible contributor from his subcommittee office. But the media reports and Ruskin's dogged efforts to pursue the charges fell on deaf ears in Congress. Under a law passed in 1997, it is impossible for civic groups or private citizens to file ethics complaints against congressmen. The upside of the law is that it protects lawmakers from frivolous harassment. The downside is that no ethics charges have been filed, according to Ruskin, since its passage.
Members lock arms to protect one another.
Many people think of the Democratic and Republican parties as some kind of mortal enemies that will expose absolutely every little wrong-doing in the other party and will do everything they can to out corruption. Quite the opposite is true. Ruskin actually supports Burton's inquiry into the Marc Rich pardon. I think that this investigation is 100 percent legitimate and a good idea. It's badly needed.