… but these kind of shenanigans aren't the way to good government.
"Sen. David Vitter undermined public trust when he blocked a raise for Interior Secretary Ken Salazar unless he issued more deep-water exploratory drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico after the BP oil spill, the Senate ethics committee said in a letter released Friday. The committee called the Louisiana Republican's actions unprecedented but spared him charges of rules violations because no guidance had been issued on such a tactic."
In other words, Vitter wanted Salazar to take actions, not based on the law or his professional judgment or even the direction of his boss (the president), but because it would cost him money to do so (or in order to get more money). Some would call that blackmail. Others would call it bribery. The Senate Ethics Committee called it an undermining of public trust.
Vitter calls it fair game.
_'In a statement Friday, Vitter said the committee had validated his action by dismissing the complaint and that he was glad he had "killed Ken Salazar's salary increase—he has completely failed us on energy policy."
"And I'll absolutely place a hold on any raise for him in the future," Vitter said.'_
The committee says that, now that there is guidance from them, Vitter will be liable to ethics charges in the future if he repeats it, bombast notwithstanding. #ddtb
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Ethics panel: Sen. Vitter undermined public trust – The Denver Post
WASHINGTON—Sen. David Vitter undermined public trust when he blocked a raise for Interior Secretary Ken Salazar unless he issued more deep-water exploratory drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico afte…