From Delaware Online
The House Ethics Committee decided in the waning hours of this year’s legislative session Saturday evening not to take any action regarding the conduct of Dover Democratic Rep. Brad Bennett, who was arrested in April on drunken driving charges for the second time in his legislative career. (Bennett has already made some noise about running in 2014, however. More on that later.)
House Majority Leader Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth, who chairs the ethics committee, said Bennett’s commitment not to run for re-election in November is a satisfactory resolution.
“We can’t punish him more than he has himself,” Schwartzkopf said. “If we were to expel him from the chamber, he could run again in November. He is, in effect, expelling himself for the next two years.”
After his arrest, Bennett spent weeks in a substance abuse recovery program before returning to the House and delivering a tearful public statement in which he said he would serve out his term but not run again this year.
“I’m not going to make excuses for his behavior,” Schwartzkopf said. “He’s made his apologies, and they were heartfelt.”
The Ethics Committee held an unadvertised meeting Tuesday (in violation of House rules) to discuss the complaint…MORE