House Republican Rep. James Comer (KY) and Democrat Rep. Katie Porter (CA) on Wednesday introduced legislation that would require presidents and vice presidents to disclose gifts valued at more than $10,000 received from or by immediate family members within two years before taking office, while in office, and for two years after leaving office.
Any guesses about who was unavailable for comment?
Here’s a hint: the bill is titled “The Presidential Ethics Reform Act.”
The Presidential Ethics Reform Act:
• Requires presidents and vice presidents to disclose payments, transfers, or other items of value from foreign sources received by themselves or immediate family members within two years before taking office, during time in office, and for two years after leaving office.
• Requires presidents and vice presidents to disclose conflicts of interest upon taking office and throughout time in office.
• Requires presidents and vice presidents to disclose gifts valued at more than $10,000 received from or by immediate family members within two years before taking office, during time in office, and for two years after leaving office.
• Requires presidents and vice presidents to disclose loans or loan repayments made to them by an immediate family member of any amount, or received by an immediate family member from any source (except commercial loans) for over $10,000, within two years before taking office, during time in office, and for two years after leaving office.
• Requires presidents and vice presidents to disclose when immediate family members accompany the president or vice president on official travel, specifying when they do so for business purposes.
• Requires presidents and vice presidents to disclose tax returns for the two years preceding time in office, during time in office, and for the two years following departure from office.
You’re thinking what I’m thinking, right?
Comer and Porter should have just gone ahead and named the bill “The Biden Family Business and Kamala Harris Took Money From Jeffrey Epstein’s Law Firm Act.”
Concerning the latter, then-presidential hopeful Kamala Harris in 2019 ripped Jeffrey Epstein’s law firm for its work on a controversial plea deal for the pedophile — the same day hubby Douglas Emhoff headlined a Chicago fundraiser for her campaign that was hosted by six partners of the firm.
Comer described the bill thusly:
The Presidential Ethics Reform Act is landmark bipartisan legislation that delivers the transparency and accountability the American people deserve to ensure our public offices are not for sale. Influence peddling is a cottage industry in Washington and we’ve identified deficiencies in current law that have led to a culture of corruption.
By creating this bipartisan legislation to provide greater transparency to the financial interactions related to the office of the president and vice-president, we can ensure that moving forward American presidents, vice presidents, and their family members cannot profit from their proximity to power.
Porter added:
The American people deserve nothing less than full honesty and transparency from presidents and vice presidents. Our bipartisan Presidential Ethics Reform Act would let Americans view the tax returns, gifts, and other conflicts of interest of a president, vice president, and their families, empowering the public to evaluate our leaders’ behavior for themselves.
By boosting transparency and requiring additional financial disclosures, Congress can shine a light on improper conduct in the Executive Branch—or be confident that none occurred. These reforms will help restore Americans’ trust in government and strengthen our democracy.
Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and CNN and MSNBC were unavailable for comment.
Here’s Where the Fun Starts
First, the introduction of the bill is genius in that it will force House Democrats to go on the record, for or against it — a proverbial “between a rock and a hard place” dilemma. Democrat Porter co-sponsored the legislation will make the debate even more interesting.
I’ll go out on a very safe limb and predict that a majority of House Democrats will twist themselves into hypocritical, irrational pretzels in opposition to the bill. Yet, if the legislation was aimed at, oh, say Donald Trump while he was in office, faux-ethical Democrats would be all over it like flies on— never mind; you get the picture.
The Bottom Line
It will be hilarious to see the ridiculous excuses House Democrats concoct as reasons to vote against a bill that should be supported unanimously.
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