House Ethics Committee pushes for more staff and more authority as misconduct scandals rock Congress | CNN Politics

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are pushing to cut red tape around the Congressional mechanisms to hold those in their own ranks accountable for wrongdoing as a series of scandals rock Capitol Hill. But even those with the best intentions are realizing that the road to reforming how Congress polices itself will be much longer and more complicated than many had hoped, frustrating those who want to see swift change. The stakes for members are high, as many fear the public’s dismal view of Congress will only worsen if there aren’t clear improvements. Making changes to how the House Ethics Committee does its work is where most members want to start, but the panel, which leads investigations into lawmakers, is often viewed as something of a black box by nature of its work. After sexual misconduct allegations against former Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales came to light through media reports and both members resigned before the panel could finish its own investigations, a number of lawmakers who do not serve on the panel believe it now has a lot to prove. After the ethics committee spent years investigating Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, the Florida Democrat resigned this week