May 8, 2008

Contact: Naomi Seligman Steiner 202.408.5565 nseligman@citizensforethics.org

8 May 2008 // Washington, DC - Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) received a letter from the Senate Ethics Committee stating it was "dismissing without prejudice" CREW's complaint against Senator David Vitter (R-LA) for violating the Senate Rules of Conduct by soliciting for prostitution. CREW deputy director Naomi Seligman released the following statement:

“The Senate Ethics Committee has once again done what it does best: nothing.

Following its standard operating procedure, the Committee announced today that it has dismissed CREW’s complaint against Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) without prejudice. As a result, we will never know whether Sen. Vitter violated Senate Rules by soliciting for prostitution.

While Deborah Jeane Palfrey, who committed suicide last week, was found guilty of operating a prostitution ring, Sen. Vitter has not been held accountable for his activities. He walks away without even a slap on the wrist.”

The letter from the Senate Ethics Committee can be found on the right.

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Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non-profit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions.

For more information, please visit www.citizensforethics.org or contact Naomi Seligman Steiner at 202.408.5565/nseligman@citizensforethics.org.

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