Should I laugh or should I cry? It’s not just the title of a 1981 song by ABBA – it’s how you sometimes feel when something is either so absurd or so maddening or so something that you’re just not sure how to react. We here at DecodeDC think politics and the actions of those who play in the political arena are filled with laugh or cry moments. We hope you do, too.
INTERPOL is an alliance of law enforcement agencies spanning the globe and intended to help police in 190 countries work together. Among its top priorities is fighting corruption.
But apparently the top U.S. representative to INTERPOL doesn’t think the rules apply to him. An investigation finds that the executive of INTERPOL Washington “exploited his position” to land a contracting job for his son and seek work for three family friends. According to the U.S. Department of Justice Inspector General, Warren Lewis received a financial benefit from landing his son a job: After Lewis’ son graduated from college, Lewis rented him a townhouse and wanted to get paid $500 a month for rent.
Lewis of all people should have known that getting his son hired is an abuse of power. The U.S. Department of Justice lists him as one of the agency’s top officials responsible for ensuring ethics.
The Inspector General’s Office says it has referred its findings to the Office of the Deputy Attorney General’s office for “appropriate disciplinary action.”
So we ask you:
