[Dales]

Torricelli paid $3,600 in cash for the clock, which was delivered to his home. But investigators who traced bank records are reported to have found that the senator did not make such a substantial withdrawal in the six months prior to the purchase.

But Chang, on the other hand, withdrew precisely that amount - just two days earlier!

And while Chang was listed as the buyer of the $1,877 television, the invoice shows it was delivered to the address (with one clear typographical error) of the senator's own home.

Yet the committee's acting chairman, Daniel Inouye (D-Ha.), refuses to let Chang - or anyone else, for that matter - testify.

The Democrats are the mafia disguised as a political outfit.

[Ed_in_NJ]

do the members of the Senate Ethics Committee have the stomach to spring the trap door on one of their own?

Don't have the character to do it -- he's raised too much money for the Party.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

It appears that the DOJ had the goods against the Torch courtesy of some good FBI work, but decided to simply pass the case over to the political body that has historically defined unethical behavior.

If a petty crook stole the clock, TV, jewelry and other items they would be in jail. But since it's Senator, he gets an office, staff, paycheck, and travel allowance from the taxpayer. This is bullhockey.

[Fzob]

But do the members of the Senate Ethics Committee have the stomach to spring the trap door on one of their own?

Of course not. What a silly question.

Oxymoron = Senate Ethics Committee.

[MarkT]

The Ethics Committee is an abomination. Sen. Reid (D. NV) has already stpped aside, ostensibly because of personal reasons - friendship with the accused. Sen. Inouye (D. HI) is acting chairman and has already said he would like to go away. These guys have no ethics themselves.

But even if they had this guy on tape with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing about the pay-off, they would not vote to send it to the Senate, nor would the Senate vote to convict, censure, etc. That act(s) would endanger the Senator who is in an election challenge in N.J. and with the present split, if Sen T. lost in Jersey, the Senate would change hands. No advantage there - the Democrats will deep six this just as they did with the Clinton trial.

[jporcus]

Who exactly is on this committee anyway? Maybe we shoudl send some emails.

[gunnedah]

There is a lot of difference between Trafficant and Torricelli.
Torricelli is a mainstream Democrat and in the Clinton-Democrat mold.This group and especially the Democrats in Congress will flock to Torricelli like they did Clinton.
Watch what I tell you,old Trafficant can quite well be guilty but in Congress the only thing different from him and the rest is that he wasnt one of the good old boys that towed the mark every time.
Congress will scream and holler that Trafficant was a convicted felon but the proof is in the pudding,per capita there are more crooks in Congress than in the General American populace.

[sandydipper]

Deny, deny and deny - then make counter allegations. I mean who could believe a convicted felon like Chung after all he only has the reciept for the watch that Toricelli is wearing. We need to abolish congress.

[Kay Soze]

Chang is in prison because he bought a US Senator ( Torcelli) but Torcelli having sold himself is innocent.

I don't understand this.

[MCSTex]

We have witnessed very little media coverage or interest in this crook.
Where is the outrage such as that expressed concerning Trafficant.
I suppose it is one of those cases where "everyone is doing it" so we cannot push one of our own to hard.

It would be interesting to see a chart of all members of the house and senate showing their net worth when elected and their current net worth. I wonder if that would tell a story?

[habaes corpussel]

The Senate in action!