Idaho House Speaker Lawerence Denney is lashing back at some Democrats who have been criticizing what they call a "culture of corruption" among Republican officials, saying some Democratic lawmakers, too, have stepped across ethical lines. "Both sides – Republicans and Democrats – make mistakes or even cross the line into the camp of ethical lapses of judgment," Denney  wrote in a statement. "Both sides are looking at reforming the process to, as is best possible, reduce the chance of partisanship when looking into complaints of ethical violations." Click below for his full statement.
 

Culture of Corruption? 

Idaho’s Democrats Shouldn’t Throw Stones From Their Glass Houses

In the 2010 election cycle, an Idaho legislator used resources paid for by the State of Idaho to send out a letter to supporters requesting campaign contributions.  As the Speaker of the House, I quietly warned the lawmaker to stop this practice.

Also during the 2010 election year, another lawmaker used their state computer to forward complaints from two alleged state employees against a commission chairman in a type of “witch hunt” aimed at affecting the outcome of at least one political race.

During the 2011 legislative session, a state lawmaker used state resources to encourage students to leave class – without the permission of their parents – to travel to the Capitol to protest three hotly debated education reform bills.

In many private sector firms, using company resources for political causes is a fireable offense.   At the federal and state levels of government, this practice could be considered a crime.

Culture of corruptionis a term used by the Idaho Democrats this year to describe the practices of their Republican counterparts in the Idaho Legislature.  Yet, all of the above offenses were committed by Democrats and received little to no media attention.

Both sides – Republicans and Democrats – make mistakes or even cross the line into the camp of ethical lapses of judgment.  In the Legislature we have a process to investigate complaints and render punishments.  Both sides are looking at reforming the process to, as is best possible, reduce the chance of partisanship when looking into complaints of ethical violations.

Incendiary language crafted by the Democrats, like culture of corruption, will make it difficult for the two sides to work together for the betterment of our constituents and to ensure the integrity of the Idaho Legislature.

We believe our constituents demand the highest standards of their elected officials.  They are tired of the name calling and partisanship.  We want to work together with our Democrat colleagues and our constituents to improve the process and ensure we operate with the highest integrity.

Instead of culture of corruption, we want to implement a culture of cooperation.  We hope the Democrats in the Legislature share our vision.

Lawerence Denney, Speaker of the Idaho House of Representatives

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