With a spate of sexual harassment allegations stirring trouble on Capitol Hill, Congress faces a new test of how well it can police itself. It was created under the Congressional Accountability Act, a 1995 law passed in the aftermath of the Bob Packwood sexual harassment scandal. The House Ethics Committee later found House GOP leaders were negligent and “willfully ignorant” of Foley’s wrongdoing, but recommended no punishment. Over the last decade, the Senate Ethics Committee, nicknamed “the black hole” by critics, has sanctioned zero senators. The House Ethics Committee has fined two members for financial transgressions, but none for sexual misconduct.

Source: Los Angeles Times November 29, 2017 20:51 UTC