Grappling with the Gray #51: Paying Your Dues?

Grappling with the Gray

Recently, Republican NY Congressman George Santos was indicted on 13 federal criminal charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to the House. He may be better known for the many lies he allegedly told about his record leading into his successful election bid.
Prior to his indictment, Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia introduced a resolution to expel him from congress. Speaker Kevin McCarthy blocked the resolution, insisting that the Department of Justice investigation should precede any action. When Congressman Garcia subsequently renewed his resolution, Speaker McCarthy referred the case to the House Ethics Committee.
Without getting into the specifics of this case, should due process and the presumption of innocence apply to ethics violations the same way they do to legal violations?
It’s distressingly common for individuals to defend unethical behavior by claiming, “It’s not illegal?” Since ethics demand more from us than strict observance of the law, should we be able to bypass due process in the enforcement of ethical misconduct? And, if we do, how can we ensure that unethical players will not exploit ethics rules to target opponents out of political motives rather than the preservation of ethical standards?
Meet this week’s panelists:
Diane Helbig is Chief Improvement Catalyzer at Helbig Enterprises, providing guidance and training to business owners and leaders around the world.
🟦 Mark O'Brien is founder and principal of O’Brien Communications Group, helping companies add innovation to their mindsets and their operations to create discernible competitive advantage.
Brian Kelly is President and Human Connection Officer at Brian Kelly Leadership Coaching, helping inclusive, people-first leaders and their teams grow their leadership effectiveness, relationships and business performance.
#ethics #standards #culture #mindset #grappling