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69-417: OCE refers to: Office of Congressional Ethics for the U.S. House of Representatives French Polynesia , ITU country code (for Établissements français d'Océanie ) Oregon College of Education, former name (1939–1981) of Western Oregon University Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

138-784: A 49–49 tie in the United States Senate . The Senate figure is sometimes quoted in the media as 51–49, which includes two members who ran as independent candidates: Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman , who promised to caucus with the Democrats. The final Senate result was decided when Democrat Jim Webb was declared the winner in Virginia against incumbent George Allen , as reported by the Associated Press . On November 9, 2006, Allen and fellow Republican incumbent Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana both conceded defeat, ceding effective control of

207-535: A Democrat. The 33 seats in the United States Senate Class 1 were up for election. The Democrats gained six Senate seats by defeating Republican Senators in the states of Missouri , Montana , Ohio , Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , and Virginia . Including Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman , two independents who caucused with the Democrats, Democrats won a 51-to-49 majority in the Senate. Summary of

276-719: A city of that size. Two candidates in Nevada's branch of the Constitution Party , called the Independent American Party (Nevada) , were also elected to office. Jackie Berg was elected Eureka County Clerk with 54.1% of the vote, easily topping Republican and Libertarian opposition. Also, Cel Ochoa will be the new Constable in Searchlight, Nevada by virtue of winning 54.93% of the vote to defeat her Republican rival. Another Nevada Independent Party member, Bill Wilkerson,

345-616: A gubernatorial or congressional election. Reasons for the Democratic Party's victory included the decline of the public image of George W. Bush , dissatisfaction of his administration's handling of both Hurricane Katrina and the War in Iraq , the beginning of the collapse of the United States housing bubble , Bush's legislative defeat regarding Social Security Privatization and immigration reform,

414-459: A large block of the electorate had voted for Democrats or for third parties specifically because of personal opposition to or dislike for Bush. The size of the segment that said it had voted specifically to support Bush was not as large. Opposition to Bush was based on a number of factors, these not limited to opposition to his Social Security privatization plan , the slow response of his administration to Hurricane Katrina , his perceived inaction in

483-537: A majority of the state governorships and the U.S. House and Senate seats, each for the first time since 1994 , an election-year commonly known as the " Republican Revolution ." For the first time since the creation of the Republican Party in 1854, no Republican captured any House, Senate, or gubernatorial seat previously held by a Democrat. Democrats took a 233–202 advantage in the House of Representatives , and achieved

552-402: A number of factors and events that led to the eventual Republican defeat in 2006. It is generally agreed that the single most important issue during the 2006 election was the war in Iraq , and more specifically President Bush's handling of it and the overall public weariness over it. Public opinion polling conducted during the days just before the election and the weeks just after it showed that

621-540: A result of the 2006 gubernatorial elections , there were 28 Democratic governors and 22 Republican governors, a reversal of the numbers held by the respective parties prior to the elections. Additionally, governorships were up for election in the U.S. territories of Guam , held by a Republican, and the U.S. Virgin Islands , where the Democratic governor was retiring. In each location, the incumbent party maintained control of

690-573: Is "to assist the House in upholding high standards of ethical conduct for its Members, officers, and staff and, in so doing, to serve the American people"; within that framework it strives to foster transparency by keeping the public informed of its activities. With its online presence, it aims to “give the public a 'window' into ethics enforcement in the United States House of Representatives.” The office

759-582: Is a paramount responsibility for the OCE" and "providing information to the public, improving transparency, is a central element of the OCE's mission. The office's launch and first two years were led by Leo Wise, who prior to joining the OCE, earned top honors at the United States Department of Justice where he was a member of the Enron task force that successfully prosecuted Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling and

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828-516: Is governed by an eight-person Board of Directors, composed of members who are private citizens and cannot serve as members of Congress, or work for the federal government. The OCE lacks subpoena power and must complete each review in a relatively short period of time—approximately three months at most. The OCE review process requires approval of the board at each step. In order to open a preliminary review, lasting no longer than 30 days, there must be "reasonable cause to believe allegations," according to

897-679: Is no longer chartered under the national party, denying the United States Constitution Party the claim of holding a higher office. Neither the Libertarian nor the Reform Parties gained any state legislative seats. Voters weighed in on various ballot initiatives. These included: Numerous other elections for local, city, and county public offices were held. An unusual local election occurred in South Dakota ; Marie Steichen

966-418: The 2006 elections. It was created under the leadership of then- Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi as part of her effort to clean up what she called the "culture of corruption" in official Washington, which had garnered so much attention in the preceding congressional sessions. According to OCE Communications Director Jon Steinman, in a statement in 2010, "keeping the public informed

1035-414: The House of Representatives , and following the election, Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the House . In the gubernatorial elections, Democrats achieved a net gain of six seats. Nationwide, Republicans failed to win any congressional or gubernatorial seat that was held by a Democrat before the election. This was also the first time since 1994 where a party did not lose a single incumbent in

1104-574: The Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal , the sentencing of Duke Cunningham to over eight years in prison, the indictment of then House majority leader Tom DeLay , the corruption of William J. Jefferson and Bob Ney , the misconduct of Cynthia McKinney , and the Mark Foley scandal all continued to pull down congressional popularity. In the months leading up to the election, congressional approval ratings flirted with all-time historical lows. Because congress

1173-448: The Mark Foley congressional page scandal , the Jack Abramoff scandal , and various allegations of marital infidelity and abuse, doomed certain candidates, especially incumbents in PA-10 and NY-20 , which hosted one of the most negative campaigns in the country. Virginia Senator George Allen , a potential Republican 2008 Presidential candidate, saw his chances for reelection disappear when he

1242-518: The Montana Senate , Virginia Senate , CA-11 , PA-07 , PA-10 , TX-22 , OH-18 , FL-16 and NY-20 races. Almost all of the gains made by Democrats came from large gains among independents, not Republicans. Democrats, Republicans, and independents all accounted for proportions of the electorate similar to what they did in 2004. Democrats and Republicans voted nearly as loyally for their parties in 2006 as they did in 2004, but independents exhibited

1311-761: The Oregon House of Representatives , the Minnesota House of Representatives , both houses of the Iowa General Assembly , and both houses of the New Hampshire General Court - for the first time since 1875, giving them complete legislative control over those states. The Iowa Senate was previously tied. Democrats also won majorities in the Wisconsin Senate , the Michigan House of Representatives ,

1380-656: The Pennsylvania House of Representatives , and the Indiana House of Representatives , turning those legislatures into split bodies. Additionally, a Democratic-led coalition was created in the Alaska Senate , which was previously a Republican majority. Democrats won a majority of state legislative chambers for the first time since 1995. Conversely, Republicans gained control of the Montana House of Representatives with

1449-586: The United States Navy Reserve . The OCE opened dozens of reviews, based on publicly available information, submissions from the public, press accounts and other sources of information. This included the multiple ethical and criminal violations stemming from, among others, disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff , and former representatives Duke Cunningham , Tom DeLay , Bob Ney , Mark Foley and William J. Jefferson . Wise announced in October 2010 that he

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1518-408: The post-war occupation was losing support from the American public. A November 2003 Gallup poll showed that Bush's job approval rating had fallen to 50% from a high of 71% at the outset of the war. The next year, Bush won reelection over Democratic nominee Senator John Kerry with less than 51% of the popular vote and 286 electoral votes (only 16 votes ahead of the 270 votes needed), marking

1587-613: The 2006 elections. In the Maine House of Representatives , Green State Representative John Eder was narrowly defeated by Democratic rival Jon Hinck in a bitterly contested campaign over Portland's 118th District. Eder's loss deprived the U.S. Green movement's highest elected position in any state office. In the Vermont House of Representatives , the Vermont Progressive Party successfully maintained its six seats within

1656-615: The Congress had a smaller than average list of major accomplishments (considering that the Party in charge of both the House and Senate also had control of the White House) and was not in session for a larger than average number of days. This allowed Democrats and others to characterize it as a "Do-Nothing" Congress and blame the Republican leadership for the lack of progress. The Democratic Party won

1725-920: The House Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota) became the first Muslim ever elected to the U.S. Congress and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Hank Johnson (D-Georgia) became the first Buddhists in a United States governing body. Of the 50 United States governors , 36 were up for election. Twenty two of those contested seats were held by Republicans, and the remaining 14 were held by Democrats. Of the 36 state governorships up for election, ten were open due to retirement, term limits, or primary loss. Democrats won open Republican-held seats in New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, Arkansas and Colorado, in addition to defeating incumbent Bob Ehrlich in Maryland and holding their sole open seat in Iowa. As

1794-602: The November 7, 2006, United States Senate election results Sources: All 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election. The Democrats won the national popular vote by a margin of eight percentage points and gained thirty-one seats from the Republicans. The election made Nancy Pelosi (D-California) the first-ever female, first-ever Italian-American, and first-ever Californian Speaker of

1863-528: The OCE from independently releasing statements publicly on pending or completed investigations. This move was immediately met with criticism by Democratic leaders in both the House and the Senate , with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi , claiming that "ethics are the first casualty of the new Republican Congress", and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer saying that the GOP had failed to keep their promise to " drain

1932-423: The OCE has brought is unprecedented in the House," according to The Hill newspaper, in a Sept. 8, 2010 article on the future of the office. At least 20 of the OCE's referrals on sitting members of the House of Representatives were published on its website in its first Congressional session of operation—a demonstration, according to The Washington Post , that the office "has taken its mission seriously." Although

2001-523: The OCE to then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then- House Minority Leader John Boehner . The Sunlight Foundation stated at the time: "More than anything else the Office of Congressional Ethics has helped to reveal to the public the patent absurdity of the self-policing oversight that members provide through the House Ethics Committee ." On January 2, 2017, one day before the 115th United States Congress

2070-499: The OCE. In order to proceed to a second phase, or further review, there must be "probable cause to believe allegations." The second phase must be completed within 45 days, with the possibility of a 14-day extension. Following completion of the second-phase review, the OCE board votes to refer a matter to the House Ethics Committee with a recommendation for or against further review by the committee. The recommendation comes in

2139-659: The Republican-controlled Congress's unprecedented and unpopular involvement in the Terri Schiavo case , and a series of scandals in 2006 involving Republican politicians . In March 2003, President George W. Bush ordered an invasion of Iraq , a state which the Bush administration claimed was linked to the September 11 attacks in 2001, and claimed was producing weapons of mass destruction . In May, just two months after

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2208-504: The Senate prior to the election. Ultimately, Republicans were down 81 seats in the House and five in the Senate, giving control of the General Court to the Democrats. This coincided with the landslide reelection of Democratic Governor John Lynch , the takeover of both of New Hampshire's U.S. House seats by Democrats, and New Hampshire's unique Executive Council gaining a Democratic majority. Third parties received largely mixed results in

2277-416: The Senate to the Democrats. The election made Nancy Pelosi (D-California) the first-ever female, first-ever Italian-American, and first-ever Californian Speaker of the House and Harry Reid (D-Nevada) the first Mormon Senate Majority Leader . Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota) became the first Muslim ever elected to the U.S. Congress and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Hank Johnson (D-Georgia) became

2346-418: The board to hire the office’s staff for the entire session within 30 calendar days of the rules package passing. Any new hires would require the approval of at least four board members." According to Forbes , "the term limits would immediately remove three of the four Democratic members from the office’s board, but none of the four Republican board members would be dismissed. (Although members of each party chose

2415-562: The board’s members, they are supposed to perform their duties independently of their affiliation.) It could be difficult to fill the newly vacated spots within 30 days, which might leave the board with just five members. That would, in turn, make it harder to hire new employees, as four votes would be required to extend a job offer. The change also would leave Republican-appointed members with almost total control of staffing decisions. Even at full strength, hiring personnel sometimes take months." The Guardian stated that "though seemingly innocuous,

2484-612: The chamber. The Vermont Progressive Party has in recent years become one of the most consistently successful third parties in the U.S. to be elected to higher office. In Illinois, seemingly out of dissatisfaction with both the candidacies of Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich and Republican candidate Judy Baar Topinka resulted in 10% of the electorate voting for the Green Party candidate Rich Whitney, an accomplishment, by all means, considering Whitney did not campaign on television or radio. In Montana, Rick Jore made history by becoming

2553-618: The changes appear to have been drafted to strike at the principal vulnerabilities of OCE and defang its investigative powers for at least the next two years." Various government watchdog groups, like Campaign Legal Center , Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and Accountable.US, pushed back on the GOP move. The current membership Former board members include: United States elections, 2006 The 2006 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006, in

2622-531: The congress had accomplished less than normal. This too, took a toll on Republicans (as the leaders of the government). The listed scandals were all dwarfed by the highly publicised Mark Foley scandal , which broke in late September and rapidly metastasized to include the House Republican leadership. Florida Representative Mark Foley , who ironically headed the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children ,

2691-416: The election, a departure from previous midterm elections, which tended to be about local, district-centric issues. The effect of this was a general nationwide advantage for Democrats, who were not seen as being as tied to the war as Republicans, led by George Bush, were. President Bush himself, seen as the leader and face of the Republican party, was a large factor in the 2006 election. Exit polls showed that

2760-413: The ethics office... because it has been fulfilling its mission to put life into the lawmakers' own stultified ethics process, to penetrate the murk of misbehavior and keep the public better informed." Given these threats, a number of outside government groups, watchdogs and editorial writers campaigned that year to ensure the survival of the OCE into another session of Congress. They sent letters supporting

2829-468: The face of and association with rising gas prices , and as mentioned above, his continued commitment to the war. Congressional approval, which had been slightly negative since before the 2004 election, began a steady drop beginning in March 2005. Congress's unprecedented and unpopular involvement in the Terri Schiavo controversy is often pointed to as the catalyst for this drop. Congressional scandals, such as

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2898-406: The first Buddhists in a United States governing body. Although seven states banned recognition of same-sex marriage , Arizona became the first state to reject such a ballot initiative. South Dakota rejected a ban on abortion under almost any circumstances, intended to overturn federal constitutional abortion-rights nationwide by setting up a strong test case that proponents hoped would lead to

2967-479: The first candidate of the right-wing Constitution Party to be elected to a state legislature, elected to the 12th District in the Montana House of Representatives . Jore initially won in 2004 by three votes, only to see the courts throw out enough ballots to give the Democrats the victory. In the 2006 elections, Jore won convincingly, garnering 56.2% of the vote. However, the Montana Constitution Party

3036-446: The form of a report which must be released to the public, unless the OCE recommendation was against further review. Consequently, the OCE has published nearly two dozen reports on members believed to have violated House rules—leading to cheers from government watchdog groups and to calls by some in Congress for gutting the office, which requires reauthorization at the beginning of each new Congress. "The extent and level of ethics scrutiny

3105-671: The governorship. Nearly all state legislatures were up for election. Prior to the general elections, with the exception of the nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature , 21 legislatures were controlled by Republicans, 19 by Democrats, and 9 were split legislatures (where each house is controlled by a different party). As a result of the 2006 elections, 23 legislatures were carried by Democrats, 16 by Republicans, and 10 legislatures were split. In all, Republicans lost, and Democrats gained more than 300 state legislative seats. Democrats flipped ten legislative chambers, while Republicans gained control of one. In total, Democrats gained or retained control of

3174-400: The initial invasion, Bush announced the end of major combat operations in Iraq . In the following months, insurgents began resisting the American occupation. Additionally, religious tensions between majority Shiite and minority Sunni Muslims , tensions which had been suppressed under the grip of Saddam's regime, resulted in violence. By the end of 2003, despite the war's initial popularity,

3243-484: The lone Constitution Party representative voting for Republican control of that body. Democrats won a veto-proof supermajority in both houses of the Connecticut General Assembly , with Democrats holding a commanding 131–56 majority. The most dramatic change in party control occurred with the New Hampshire General Court , where Republicans held a 92-seat majority in the House and an eight-seat majority in

3312-493: The middle of Republican President George W. Bush 's second term. In a political revolution that broke twelve years of Republican rule, the Democratic Party was swept into majorities in both chambers of Congress and governorships. These elections were widely categorized as a Democratic wave . In the Senate , Democrats won a net gain of six seats to secure a narrow majority in that chamber. Democrats also gained 31 seats in

3381-400: The office does not have subpoena power, it has played a significant role in 2010 investigations concerning alleged ethics violations by Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), and former Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.) The OCE was created by House Resolution 895 of the 110th United States Congress in March 2008, in the wake of across-the-board Democratic victories in

3450-839: The overruling of Roe v. Wade . This result would eventually happen in 2022, with a Mississippi state law that imposed a 15-week ban on abortion leading to the case Dobbs v. Jackson , which then led to Roe's overturning. Some of the Republican House and Senate seats lost by the Republicans belonged to members of the Republican Revolution of 1994. Senators Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Mike DeWine of Ohio, and Representatives Charlie Bass of New Hampshire, John Hostettler of Indiana, Gil Gutknecht of Minnesota, and J. D. Hayworth of Arizona all won previously Democratic seats in 1994 elections and were defeated in 2006. Representative Sue Kelly of New York, also first elected in 1994,

3519-632: The public and referring them, if appropriate, to the Committee on Ethics." House Republicans reversed their plan to gut the OCE less than 24 hours after the initial vote, under bipartisan pressure from Representatives of both parties, their constituents and the President-elect, Donald Trump . In addition to negative Trump tweets , criticism was widespread including from Judicial Watch , the Project on Government Oversight , former Representative Bob Ney , who

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3588-509: The smallest winning margin for an incumbent president since Woodrow Wilson in the 1916 election . However, it was the first time since 1988 that a winner garnered a popular majority. Terrorism and the war in Iraq dominated the election, with domestic issues taking a secondary role. Bush began his second term with a continuation of the occupation and a push to overhaul Social Security with his privatization plan. Both policies proved unpopular, and violence in Iraq continued to increase. Compounding

3657-709: The state legislatures and governorships of 15 states, thus creating a unified government in Arkansas , Colorado , Illinois , Iowa , Louisiana , Maine , Maryland , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New Mexico , North Carolina , Oregon , Washington and West Virginia , although the governorship of Louisiana reverted to the Republicans with the October 2007 election of Bobby Jindal . Republicans now control ten state governments, these being, Florida , Georgia , Idaho , Missouri , North Dakota , South Carolina , South Dakota , Texas and Utah . Democrats flipped ten legislative chambers. Democrats gained control of

3726-522: The swamp ", referring to the frequent use of the phrase by President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican leaders during the 2015 campaign. The 119–74 vote reflected the frustration of many lawmakers who questioned the non-partisanship of the OCE. In a statement, Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) defended pushing the rules amendment because it "builds upon and strengthens the existing Office of Congressional Ethics by maintaining its primary area of focus of accepting and reviewing complaints from

3795-514: The time and after the fact) cited the scandal as an event that sealed the fate of the Republican congress. After the election, top Republican strategist Karl Rove specifically named the Foley scandal as the cause of the Republicans' loss of congress. The result was that on election day, many congressional seats had been touched by Republican scandals and were easier to pick up for Democrats than under normal conditions. These include but are not limited to

3864-473: The title OCE . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=OCE&oldid=1199853020 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Office of Congressional Ethics The OCE's mission

3933-526: The tobacco litigation team that successfully prosecuted the civil racketeering case against the cigarette industry. He joined the United States Department of Justice through the prestigious Attorney General's Honors Program after graduating from Harvard Law School . Wise is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University and the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies . He is also an officer in

4002-463: The unpopularity of the war was the fact that no weapons of mass destruction were found. August 2005 was the last time any major public opinion poll recorded majority approval of Bush's job. Negative perceptions of Bush, following the slow governmental response to Hurricane Katrina , further weighed on his popularity. Simultaneously, the popularity of the Republican-controlled 109th Congress

4071-420: The war in Iraq was considered the most important election issue by the largest segment of the public. Exit polling showed that relatively large majorities of voters both fell into the category of disapproving of the war or expressing the desire to withdraw troops in some type of capacity. Both brackets broke extremely heavily for Democrats. The issue of the war seemed to play a large part in the nationalization of

4140-646: Was also on the decline. A series of notable congressional scandals also took place in Washington, D.C., including the ongoing Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal , as well as the Mark Foley scandal and the Cunningham scandal , both in October 2006. Throughout 2006, sectarian violence persisted in Baghdad and other areas of Iraq; many claimed that the conflict was evolving into a civil war . President Bush's job approval rarely rose above 40%. Perceptions of Congress and Republicans in general, remained highly negative. Additionally,

4209-414: Was caught on video using a racial slur to describe a young Indian-American who worked for his opponent's campaign. Republicans won control of Congress for the first time since the 1994 election , which is commonly known as the " Republican Revolution ." For the first time since the creation of the Republican party in 1854, no Republican captured any House, Senate, or Gubernatorial seat previously held by

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4278-512: Was controlled by Republicans, this high disapproval affected Republicans much more negatively than it did Democrats. Democrats were successful in portraying the congress as a lazy, greedy, egotistical and inefficient "Do-Nothing Congress.", which they contrasted with their " New Direction for America " campaign. Indeed, the congress had been in session much less than previous ones had (including those under Republican control), and numerous public opinion polls showed that large majorities believed that

4347-410: Was convicted of receiving bribes, and Jack Abramoff , the lobbyist who provided such bribes. After regaining a majority in the House of Representatives during the 118th United States Congress , House Republicans announced plans to change OCE rules, with the set of changes including "reinstat[ing] two four-year term limits for board members, which haven’t been enforced since 2014. It also could require

4416-459: Was defeated as well. The Democrats also won back the Kansas 2nd and Ohio 18th, both of which they had lost in 1994. In the 2006 elections, the Democratic Party also claimed a majority of state governorships, gaining control of Republican-held governorships in New York, Massachusetts, Colorado, Arkansas, Maryland, and Ohio, giving the party a 28–22 advantage in governorships. Various scandals, including

4485-479: Was elected to Jerauld County Commissioner, despite the fact that she died two months before the election. Her name was never replaced on the ballot, and voters who chose her were aware of her death. In Richmond, California , a city of more than 100,000 residents, the Green Party challenger, City Councilperson Gayle McLaughlin , unseated Democratic incumbent Irma Anderson and became the first Green Party Mayor of

4554-581: Was elected to the Elko, Nevada , School Board, in a non-partisan race. In Missoula County, Montana , residents passed a measure to encourage the County Sheriff's Department to make marijuana enforcement a last priority. In Dallas County, Texas , Democrats regained control in 41 out of 42 contested GOP judgeships, as well as the district attorney's office and the county judge's seat. Beginning just after George W. Bush's reelection , political analysts point to

4623-464: Was found to have been making sexually lewd and highly inappropriate contacts online with male congressional pages, and it was soon found that members of the Republican leadership knew in some capacity of Foley's advances, yet took little action. The scandal allowed Democrats to adopt corruption as a campaign issue, and exit polls on election day showed that corruption remained an important issue, one that Democrats held an advantage on. In addition, many (at

4692-542: Was leaving the OCE to join the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland following what OCE Chairman David Skaggs termed an "extraordinary job 'standing up' and managing OCE operations during its first two years." Calls to eliminate the office have come from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress. The New York Times Editorial Board wrote in 2010 that "Grumblers on both sides want to gut

4761-466: Was scheduled to convene for its first session, House Republicans held a "surprise vote" to effectively place the OCE under direct control of the House Ethics Committee , therefore making any future review of potential violations of criminal law by members of Congress subject to approval following referral to the Ethics Committee or an appropriate federal law enforcement agency. These new rules also bar

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