Two top Democrats eyeing a 2020 presidential run topped the list for the most egregious ethics violations this year.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust released its list of Worst Ethics Violators of 2018, which includes Democratic Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
Both Harris and Warren found themselves in hot water a few months ago for their opposition to Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court.
Shortly after the two top Democrats played up their resistance and used antics to fundraise and beg for money, FACT filed an ethics complaint against both senators.
In the complaint, FACT noted the following section of Senate Ethics rules:
Senate Ethics Rules prohibit Senators from soliciting campaign contributions based upon any action taken in their official capacity. By linking a promise of official action with campaign contributions, a Senator violates a ‘basic principle’ of Senate Ethics that guards against conflicts of interest. The Senate Ethics Manual is clear that a Senator “should never use the prestige or influence of a position in the Senate for personal gain. This provision was intended ‘as a broad prohibition against members, officers or employees deriving financial benefit, directly or indirectly, from the use of their official position.’” Moreover, Senators are to act based upon merit, not on partisan affiliation or for campaign contributions.
Warren and Harris topping the list for ethics violations won’t surprise many given the two Democrats have a long history of controversial actions and comments.
Last month, Harris compared the Immigration Customs and Enforcement agency to the Ku Klux Klan.
Before that, she came under fire for refusing on 10 separate occasions to say whether she believes a “convicted felon” should be allowed to serve in the U.S. Senate.
The past few months haven’t been good for Warren, either.
In October, Warren released the results of a DNA test she claimed at the time proved she had Native American ancestry.
Warren recently admitted that she’s “not a person of color,” but she stuck to her claims for awhile after releasing her results.
Warren’s DNA test results revealed that “the vast majority” of her ancestry is European, and that she is only 1/1,024th American Indian.
Statistically speaking, she has less Native American ancestry than the average person from North America.
Both Harris and Warren also want to reverse President Donald Trump’s tax cuts, are against the border wall, support more immigration, and have flirted with the idea of raising taxes across the board at the federal level to give low-income people a “monthly stipend.”
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