Ethics Committee - Thompson Not Guilty Due to Ignorance

The U.S. House Ethics Committee has admonished Representative Charlie Rangel for taking a trip to the Caribbean paid for by corporate interests in violation of House Ethics rules. The Committee said that Rangel's staff knew corporate funds were involved, so he gets a slap on the wrist. But,

The report cleared five others saying that they "properly relied on the information provided to them by the officers and employees of Carib News and the Carib News Foundation in seeking and receiving pre-trip approval from the committee to accept these trips." They are Reps. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.; Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y.; Donald Payne, D-N.J., Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich.; and Delegate Donna Christensen, D-V.I.

It seems ignorance saved Thompson from also having the Ethics Committee shake its finger at him. While he did go on trips that violated the rules, they couldn't prove he knew it, and they couldn't prove his staff knew it, so, no problem. How is that for confidence in the Homeland Security Chairman?

I mean, lets be fair. What about this poster would ever lead you to think it was sponsored by corporate interests?Now, what about the corporate funds going to Thompson's Tunica event organized by his own staffer?