2023 EPPY Award winner: 0-for-1,523 — US Senators attempt to explain…ethics violations

politicsaward-winningLCB exclusive
Written By Matt Laslo

By Dave Levinthal & Matt Laslo

WASHINGTON — The secretive U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics — tasked with confidentially investigating allegations of misconduct by its own members and staff — hasn’t formally punished anyone in at least 16 years, a Raw Story analysis of congressional records indicates.

Since 2007, the Senate Ethics Committee has received 1,523 complaints alleging violations of Senate rules. In exactly zero cases did it vote to issue a “disciplinary sanction” — the most damning form of punishment against a wayward senator.

During this time, the six-member, bipartisan body is similarly 0-for-204 in issuing disciplinary sanctions even after finding enough evidence to launch a “preliminary inquiry” into an alleged misdeed, according to Raw Story’s analysis…

Notable: 

Feature included in winning portfolios for Editor & Publisher Magazine 2023 EPPY Award as the best news / political blog (1 million or more unique monthly visitors) and the Fair Media Council’s 2024 Folio Award “Public Policy News.” 

DIVE DEEPER: Read the full feature at Raw Story.

Matt Laslo

The LCB’s founder, veteran political correspondent Matt Laslo, has brought Washington, DC to life for millions (73+ million on last count) of listeners, viewers and readers. He’s reported for five Pulitzer Prize-winning news outlets, 60+ award-wining local NPR outlets, nonprofit newsrooms and national magazines. He also runs the popular interactive journalism startup Ask a Pol Politics — a Substack bestseller.

Laslo’s groundbreaking generative AI coverage has been cited in 13+ law reviews, think tanks and a fiery letter Sen. Elizabeth Warren letter penned to OpenAI founder Sam Altman. His data privacy reporting for WIRED is cited in 25+ law reviews — including Cornell, Duke and Harvard. His tech features are assigned reading at NYU, UNC Chapel Hill, Johns Hopkins and DePaul. Laslo’s also cited as a government reform expert in 20+ (mostly) books, while his “war on drugs,” opioid epidemic and criminal justice reform features are quoted in 25 law reviews and books.

https://mattlaslo.com
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