Finger in the wind indicates a time to alter course
Harry Reid has now changed his position on the ethics of accepting gifts. Reid's spokesperson acknowledges that the Senator "misspoke" when he explained the Senate rules governing the receiving of gifts.
"The announcement came after The Associated Press confronted Reid's office early Wednesday with conclusions from several ethics experts that the Senate leader misstated congressional ethics rules in trying to defend his actions."
While Reid maintains that he committed no ethics violation, several ethics experts disagreed, "criticizing Reid's rationale that he felt obligated to take the tickets to ensure boxing was being conducted properly in his home state.
'He is no more obligated to go to boxing matches than he is to a Celine Dion concert in Vegas,' said Melanie Sloan, a former Justice Department prosecutor and head of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
Fred Wertheimer, a longtime ethics watchdog, agreed.
'The test under congressional ethics rules in these circumstances is not what state a member is from but whether the gift creates the appearance that the gift is motivated by a desire to influence the member or gain favorable official action,' Wertheimer said. 'If the gift creates such an appearance, it should not be accepted.'"
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