In the Matter of Representative David Schweikert of Arizona

Floor Speech

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Mr. KATKO. Madam Speaker, I rise today regarding the determination by the Committee on Ethics on the matter regarding David Schweikert, our colleague.

As I was preparing my remarks today, I thought about my second or third day in Congress when I was standing at the back of the well looking out at this grand room. Speaker Boehner came up to me. And Speaker Boehner said to me, You are a prosecutor, right?

And I said, Yes.

And he said, You have done it for 20 years in the Federal system?

And I said, Yes.

He said, Well, you are going to be one of the designated prosecutors in case someone has an ethics issue. You are going to be one of the ones we are going to use. And he walked away.

And as he walked away, I thought about two things: I thought, I hope it never happens that they may need my services. And an honor it was, but regardless of the honor it was that he tapped me.

And the second thing was about what a privilege it is to be in the House.

Whether Republican or Democrat, we all have the great privilege of serving in the United States House of Representatives. And with that privilege comes great responsibility to abide by the rules of this institution, which are in place so that we may best serve our constituents and our country.

While there is no joy in bringing this action to the floor today, as my colleague and friend, Dean, stated, I appreciate the bipartisan work done by the members who served on this subcommittee. Moreover, I applaud the diligence of the nonpartisan staff members who Dean named, and who worked tirelessly throughout this process to ensure fairness and to uphold the standards imposed upon every Member of Congress.

The investigation was conducted thoroughly and without one hint of bias. Importantly, I believe the bipartisan manner in which it was conducted demonstrates that the processes in place to hold Members of Congress accountable do indeed work and are taken very seriously by both parties.

Madam Speaker, in closing, I commend everybody who was involved in this investigation, and I commend the House for having these rules.

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