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No Party Has Moral Upper Hand

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By BILLY HOUSE

bhouse@tampatrib.com

Published: October 18, 2008

WASHINGTON - Allegations that South Florida Rep. Tim Mahoney paid money to a former staffer to cover up their illicit affair has moved him onto a list of at least 14 sitting members of Congress facing allegations of unsavory, unethical - or even illegal - conduct.

The roster includes Democrats and Republicans, representatives and senators. Some, like Democrat Mahoney, reportedly find themselves under federal investigation even as they must also face the verdicts of voters next month.

Democrats took control of the House and Senate in the 2006 election, partly because of high-profile scandals surrounding Republicans, including Mahoney's predecessor, Mark Foley, that seemed to suggest a culture of corruption or incompetence. Foley resigned his seat after revelations he sent lurid electronic messages to teenage congressional pages.

This election year, says analyst David Wasserman of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, neither party seems to have gained an upper hand on ethics. Anyhow, he said, the presidential election is consuming voter attention.

"Republicans are trying to hold these people out as best they can," Wasserman said. Given that a number of lawmakers from both parties find themselves in trouble, Wasserman said, "even if these scandals were to take center stage, they would cancel each other out."

Here is a list of members of Congress who are either facing federal charges, are reportedly under investigation, found themselves in high-profile scandals, or had some of their dealings questioned during this two-year session.

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