The House on Thursday voted to reprimand Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Long Beach) for ethical misconduct. The House chamber was nearly empty, despite the rare moment, as Ethics Committee members presented the charges, which included engaging in conduct that "brought discredit upon the House." The reprimand was approved on a voice vote.
Richardson agreed to the uncommon discipline, including paying a $10,000 fine out of her own pocket. Richardson, in a filing with the committee, said she accepted the punishment because ending the matter, rather than staging a fight that "would consume many more months and much more of her time and attention, is in the best interests of her constituents and of the House." The embarrassing vote comes as Richardson faces a tough race to win reelection in a newly drawn district.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), the Congressional Black Caucus chairman and a Richardson supporter, said on the House floor, "I know that she regrets the violations and hopes that the reprimand by the House will allow both her and the House to move on to address the great issues facing the nation." |