Americans see Congress as Unethical, Dishonest

(Angus Reid Global Scan) Few adults in the United States express confidence in the values of their elected lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate, according to a poll by International Communications Research released by ABC News. Only 27 per cent of respondents think Congress as a whole is ethical and honest.

Last year, Republican California congressman Randy Cunningham resigned from his seat after pleading guilty to collecting $2.4 million U.S. in kickbacks in exchange for steering government work to specific defence contractors. The former Navy pilot had served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1991. In March, Cunningham was sentenced to eight years and four months in jail.

In January, lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy, fraud and tax evasion charges as part of a deal to cooperate with a federal corruption investigation. In March, Abramoff was sentenced to five years and 10 months in jailthe minimum allowed under the plea bargainand ordered to pay restitution of more than $21 million U.S.

In August 2005, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raid on the residence of Democratic Louisiana congressman William Jefferson found $90,000 U.S. "in the freezer, in $10,000 increments wrapped in aluminium foil and stuffed inside frozen-food containers." According to the affidavit, the money was paid by a company named iGate in return for Jeffersons efforts to influence officials in Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria for a potential business deal.

Polling Data

Do you think Congress as a whole is ethical and honest?

Yes	27%
No	65%
Not sure	8%

Source: International Communications Research / ABC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,044 American adults, conducted from May 26 to May 30, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.