Political ethics

FILE - In this June 14, 2018, file photo, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, of San Diego, addresses members of the Senate in Sacramento, Calif. On Friday, Feb. 1, 2019, the California Legislature is opening an independent office to handle investigations of alleged workplace misconduct, including sexual harassment or discrimination. "Our goals are clear: we need to protect victims and witnesses, hold perpetrators accountable, and restore employee and public confidence," said Atkins. But she added: "I realize we cannot be satisfied with our progress, because this step alone will not change the culture of this building." (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

FILE - In this May 27, 2015, file photo, John Rakolta Jr., speaks at the Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island, Mich. When Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, no U.S. ambassador was there to welcome him. The post has been vacant for nine months. The Republican donor President Donald Trump chose for the job, Rakolta, hasn’t been approved by the Senate. (Tanya Moutzalias/The Ann Arbor News via AP)

In this Jan. 3, 2019, photo, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., gestures before a ceremonial swearing-in on Capitol Hill in Washington, during the opening session of the 116th Congress. House Democrats are unveiling a comprehensive elections and ethics reform package that takes aim at what they call “the culture of corruption in Washington” and reduces the role of money in politics. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2018 file photo, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke speaks at EPA headquarters in Washington. Newly-departed Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says he's been truthful with investigators looking into numerous ethics complaints against him and has no knowledge of a report that he lied. Zinke's comments came after The Washington Post reported Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019, that the Justice Department's public integrity section was examining whether he lied to investigators from Interior's office of inspector general. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 5, 2016, file photo, then-Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., attends a gathering at the East Room of the White House in Washington. Esty. forced to abandon her re-election campaign amid criticism over her handling of an alleged incident of sexual harassment could have done more to protect her staff but didn’t violate congressional rules, according to the House Ethics Committee.(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

In this Nov. 21, 2018 photo, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, framed by a photograph of lower Manhattan, addresses law enforcement officials at the Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York. Whitaker has been advised by ethics officials that he does not need to recuse himself from overseeing the special counsel’s Russia probe. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2014, file photo, 1st District congressional Republican candidate Rod Blum speaks during a debate in Waterloo, Iowa. Blum likely violated a host of ethics rules in his private business dealings, including his ownership in a company that used false claims and House resources to promote itself, according to an independent report released Monday, Dec. 17, 2018 by the The Office of Congressional Ethics. (Matthew Putney/The Courier via AP, File)