Sufficient Reason to Go

Jim Wright’s claim to the speakership of the U.S. House of Representatives rests not with the adequacy of the legal defense he was prepared to present today to charges of violating House rules against conflicts of interest. The speakership is not an office that is held by legal right, but by political support, leadership ability and--when necessary--moral and parliamentary persuasion.

Just like his 434 colleagues, however, Jim Wright does have a legal stake in his House seat, having been duly elected to that position by the voters of the 12th Congressional District of Texas. As such, he deserves every opportunity to defend himself against the 69 allegations of unethical behavior brought by the House’s Ethics Committee. The legal process is important both to Wright’s rights as a member of Congress and to other members, so they can be certain what the rules are and how they are to be interpreted.

But the speakership is different. It is a privilege, not a right. Wright sits in the Speaker’s chair by virtue of his selection by a majority of his peers in the House. While it has not happened in modern times, House members can remove a Speaker any time they desire by adopting a motion to declare the speakership vacant and choosing a new Speaker. The speakership does carry considerable national prestige and responsibility--succession to the presidency after the vice president, for instance. But the Speaker serves entirely at the pleasure of his colleagues. He can be elected with as few as 218 votes in the House and be removed by as few as 218 votes. Removal does not require any legal justification or proof of wrongdoing.

The 69 accusations voted by the House Ethics Committee have not been proven, and there is no legal reason to date to require Wright to relinquish his House seat. But there is more than sufficient argument that Wright should yield the speakership. A successful Speaker must lead by example. He must set a standard that is higher than just a grudging adherence of the rules. He must be effective.

Wright has failed those tests. True enough, the committee allegations have not been proven. But Wright has acknowledged the substance of the contentions, quarreling primarily with the committee’s interpretation that they constitute a violation of the rules. His bad judgment is sufficient cause for removal as Speaker. Wright can spare the House that wrenching decision by resigning now.