Pelosi Says She’s Running Most Ethical Congress Ever, Media Mum

By Noel Sheppard

During a Friday press conference, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she was running the most ethical Congress ever.

CNSNews.com reported Friday:

When a reporter prefaced a question about Rangel by noting that Pelosi had promised to run the “most ethical and honest Congress in history” she interrupted him to say: “And we are.”

Despite the absurdity of this remark, CNSNews.com and Fox News were by themselves amongst major press outlets in finding it newsworthy (readers are cautioned to stow fluids as well as sharp items, and make sure their mouths are free of food or liquid before proceeding to the hysterical video):

Once again, despite the absurdity of her comment, it didn’t get a lot of press coverage.

According to LexisNexis, on television, only Fox News reported this statement: once on Friday’s “Your World” and again on “Hannity.”

Although CNN did cover this press conference during the 5PM “Situation Room” Friday, her comment, “And we are” was not addressed.

Many newspapers also reported the press conference, but according to LexisNexis, not one mentioned her reply to the reporter about being most ethical.

Not one.

Wireservices also covered the press conference, but didn’t mention her absurd comment either.

Of course, carrying the press’s water were conservative bloggers – as usual. A Google blog search found the country’s citizen journalists all over this story.

Hot Air’s Allahpundit reported just how preposterous this comment was:

As of early January, “the most ethical Congress ever” hadn’t punished a single congressman for ethics violations. Not one, despite the many, many imbroglios in which, to take a not-so-random example, Pelosi crony Jack Murtha was involved. In fact, seven more congressmen were exonerated of ethics charges just today despite their ties to the PMA lobbying group.

Gateway Pundit’s Jim Hoft was also all over this:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) insisted on Friday that she is running the most ethical and honest Congress in history. At the same time, however, she indicated she will not ask House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D.-N.Y.) to resign his chairmanship-at least for now. Democrook Charlie Rangel was found guilty of ethics violations yesterday. But, at least he wasn’t caught stashing $90,000 of cold hard cash in his freezer like crooked democrat William Jefferson who was recently sent to the slammer for 13 years.

By contrast, “real” journalists predictably boycotted Pelosi’s comment.

Exit question: Can you imagine the kind of coverage former Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) would have gotten if he made such a remark while he was Speaker?

Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters