Texas Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson violated the rules in order to give her relatives scholarships

I don’t think that I need to remind anyone that Democrats promised to run the most ethical and honest Congress in history. But with the indictments of both Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters on ethics charges we have learned that the Democrats are no more ethical than the people they replaced. It seems as if the Democrats’ reality doesn’t quite meet the hype.

As if learning about Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters wasn’t enough to drive home the point that Democrats are no more ethical than their Republican counterparts, we now are learning about yet another embattled Democrat.

It turns out that Dallas Congressman Eddie Bernice Johnson has used her position to award scholarships to four of her family members as well as two children of one of her aides. She has done this in spite of the fact that the rules of the Congressional Black Caucus–the organization which provides these funds–has strict anti-nepotism rules.

Naturally, she is denying that favoritism played any role in the decision to hand out to these family members free money on the taxpayer’s dime. She does admit that she knew the people whose names were brought forth, but that she advanced their causes as she would any other who applied for these scholarships.

I recognized the names when I saw them. And I knew that they had a need just like any other kid that would apply for one.” Had there been more “very worthy applicants in my district,” she added, “then I probably wouldn’t have given it” to the relatives.

But the fact remains that this was in violation of the rules, regardless of whether these children were deserving or not. Once she saw the names of family members she should have removed them from consideration because that is what the rules for the scholarships dictate she should have done.

Yet she moved these names forward anyway, and she did so because she believed she would never be caught. This is yet another example of a politician using his or her position for personal gain or for the gain of his or her family, and this can no longer be tolerated because it has gone on far too long.

It is time to drain the swamp–after all Nancy Pelosi promised to do so–and if Democrats are willing to overlook violations that occur within their own party than it is time to vote them out and put real reformers in power. The ethical problems of the Democrats are magnified because of their promises in the last election to rid Washington of exactly this type of politician if we entrusted them with power.

While the Democrats transgressions appear more egregious because of their promises to drain the swamp, this goes for both Republicans and Democrats; as long as we vote into power people who are willing to flaunt the rules we will never have real reform. This is going to be a long process, but it must start this November.