The Hill: Watchdog Groups Prod Boehner, Pelosi to Fill Spots on Ethics Board

Watchdog groups are pressing House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to select replacements for the four retiring members on the board of the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE). Four of the six board members of the outside ethics panel will no longer be eligible to serve on the OCE in 2013 because of term limits. Good government groups are worried that if House leaders don’t move to replace them soon, the OCE won’t be able to carry out its mission and investigate allegations against lawmakers and staff. “Whatever your choices, we urge your offices to begin considering potential replacements for the four expiring positions on the board at your earliest convenience so that the important work of ethics monitoring and accountability will not be neglected as the new Congress convenes,” the groups wrote in a letter on Thursday. [READ MORE]