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{{Short description|American nonprofit watchdog organization}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                     = Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
| image                    = Logo_of_Citizens_for_Responsibility_and_Ethics_in_Washington.jpg
| caption                  = 
| type                     = [[501(c)(3)]]
| tax_id                   = 03-0445391
| registration_id          = 
| founded_date             = 2003
| founder                  = [[Norman L. Eisen]], [[Melanie Sloan]]
| dissolved                = 
| key_people               = Noah Bookbinder, President and Chief Executive Officer [[CEO]]
| revenue                  = $5,989,080 (2019)<ref>{{cite web|title=IRS 2013 Form 990|date=9 May 2013 |url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/30445391/202042969349301649/full |via=[[ProPublica]] |publisher=Internal Revenue Service |access-date=5 May 2021}}</ref>
| website                  = {{Official URL}}
}}

'''Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington''' ('''CREW'''), is a progressive [[501(c)(3)|nonprofit 501(c)(3)]] watchdog organization devoted to U.S. government ethics and accountability.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Blumenthal|first1=Paul|title=Citizens United Lawyer Jim Bopp Hit With Tax Complaint From Watchdog Group|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/citizens-united-jim-bopp_n_3568048.html|access-date=November 11, 2015|publisher=Huffington Post|date=July 9, 2013}}</ref><ref>[https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2017-01-03/secret-house-gop-vote-guts-ethics-panel-prompts-outcry Secret House GOP Vote Guts Ethics Panel, Prompts Outcry]; ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]''; Gabrielle Levy; January 3, 2017</ref><ref name="OrgList">''Washington Information Directory 2017-2018''; [[CQ Press]]; 2017; Pg. 327</ref> Founded in 2003 as a counterweight to conservative government watchdog groups such as [[Judicial Watch]], CREW works to expose ethics violations and corruption by government officials and institutions and to reduce the role of money in politics.

Its activities include investigating, reporting and litigating perceived government misconduct, requesting and forcing government information disclosure through [[Freedom of information legislation]] requests, and filing congressional ethics complaints against individuals, institutions and agencies.<ref name=about>{{cite web|title=About CREW|publisher=Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington|url=http://www.citizensforethics.org/pages/about|access-date=May 16, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20120905201513/http://www.citizensforethics.org/pages/about|archive-date=September 5, 2012}}</ref><ref name="OrgList"/> Its projects have included the publication of "CREW's Most Corrupt Members of Congress", an annual report in which CREW lists the people it determines to be the most corrupt in the [[federal government of the United States]]. From 2005 to 2014, the annual reports named 25 [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] and 63 [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]]. 

CREW was founded in 2003 by former federal prosecutor [[Melanie Sloan]] and white-collar lawyer [[Norm Eisen]], who went on to serve as President [[Barack Obama]]'s chief ethics lawyer and later his ambassador to the Czech Republic. Liberal political consultant [[David Brock]] became CREW's chairman in 2014 and stepped down in 2016. He was replaced by [[Richard Painter]], who took a leave of absence to run as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] in [[United States Senate special election in Minnesota, 2018|Minnesota's 2018 U.S. Senate special election]]. Under Painter's leadership, CREW pursued aggressive litigation against the Trump administration, which it called the "most unethical presidency" in U.S. history. CREW filed 41 lawsuits during [[George W. Bush]]'s administration, 38 during Obama's administration and, by January 2018, 180 against the Trump administration.<ref name=gerstein/>

==History==
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington was co-founded in 2003 by [[Norman L. Eisen]] and [[Melanie Sloan]] in part as a liberal / progressive counterweight to conservative watchdog groups such as [[Judicial Watch]]. Sloan initially ran the fledgling organization by herself; by 2007, CREW had 13 staff members.<ref name="burstyn">{{cite journal|author=Linda Burstyn|date=Winter 2007|title=The Most Feared Woman on Capitol Hill?|url=http://www.msmagazine.com/winter2007/2007-02-01-mostfearedwoman.asp|website=MsMagazine.com|access-date=November 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208111055/http://www.msmagazine.com/winter2007/2007-02-01-mostfearedwoman.asp|archive-date=December 8, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[http://www.c-span.org/video/?286316-1/qa-melanie-sloan Q&A Interview with Melanie Sloan, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)]; [[C-SPAN]] Transcripts; May 13, 2009.</ref> By 2016, the group had four lawyers on staff.

===Chairmanships of David Brock and Richard Painter===
In August 2014, liberal political operative [[David Brock]] was elected chairman of CREW's board of directors. At the time, Paul Singer of ''USA Today'' wrote, "One of the most vocal congressional ethics watchdog groups is becoming part of a Democratic political operation."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Singer |first1=Paul |title=Ethics watchdog drops its non-partisan veneer |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2014/08/14/ethics-watchdog-drops-its-non-partisan-veneer/81232064/ |access-date=6 August 2018 |publisher=USA Today |date=August 14, 2014}}</ref> ''Politico'' wrote that Brock's newly announced involvement with CREW was a "major power play that aligns liberal muscle more fully behind the Democratic Party" and that CREW would add a "more politically oriented arm, expand its focus into state politics and donor targeting and will operate in close coordination with Brock's growing fleet of aggressive Democrat-backing nonprofits and super PACs—[[Media Matters for America|Media Matters]], [[American Bridge 21st Century|American Bridge]], and the [[American Independent Institute]]."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vogel |first1=Kenneth |title=David Brock expands empire |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/david-brock-citizens-for-responsibility-and-ethics-in-washington-110003 |access-date=6 August 2018 |publisher=Politico |date=August 13, 2014}}</ref> Before Brock's involvement with CREW, the group had aggressively targeted Republican public officials as well as some Democrats. The [[Center for Public Integrity]] wrote, "Many key staffers left soon after Brock became its chairman, and since then, the organization has almost exclusively pursued Republicans and conservative organizations through federal complaints and its own investigations."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Levinthal |first1=David |title=Inside Hillary Clinton's big-money cavalry |url=https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/04/07/19528/inside-hillary-clintons-big-money-cavalry |access-date=6 August 2018 |publisher=Center for Public Integrity |date=April 7, 2016}}</ref> In April 2016, ''Bloomberg'' reported that Republicans had faced the vast majority of CREW investigations in recent months.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Allison |first1=Bill |title=CREW's Watchdog Status Fades After Arrival of Democrat David Brock |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-11/washington-watchdog-adjusts-to-life-with-partisan-roommates |access-date=6 August 2018 |publisher=Bloomberg |date=April 11, 2016}}</ref>

Brock left CREW's board of directors in December 2017, but did not cut ties with the group and continued to raise money for it.<ref name=gerstein>{{cite news |last1=Gerstein |first1=Josh |title=Liberals cribbing from conservatives' playbook to attack Trump |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/democrats-trump-resistance-conservative-playbook-232687 |access-date=6 August 2018 |publisher=Politico |date=December 16, 2016}}</ref> He was replaced by former [[George W. Bush]] White House ethics lawyer [[Richard Painter]], "lending the group a bipartisan air", according to ''Politico''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Debenedetti |first1=Gabriel |title=Brock groups set $40 million budget to fight Trump |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/david-brock-fundraising-trump-233974 |access-date=6 August 2018 |publisher=Politico |date=January 21, 2017}}</ref> Painter took a leave of absence from CREW to run as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] in [[United States Senate special election in Minnesota, 2018|Minnesota's 2018 U.S. Senate special election]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kwong |first1=Jessica |title=Trump Has 'No Respect For The Law,' Former White House Ethics Lawyer Says |url=https://www.newsweek.com/trump-has-no-respect-law-former-white-house-ethics-lawyer-says-872503 |access-date=6 August 2018 |publisher=Newsweek |date=April 4, 2018}}</ref>

In December 2016, ''Politico'' wrote that since its 2003 founding, CREW had "quickly built a strong reputation as an ethics watchdog and transparency advocate, filing complaints against lawmakers from both parties, though the bulk of its ethics work targeted Republicans. However, in recent years CREW faced increased questions about its credibility, stemming from a 2014 shift that brought the group under Brock's sway and—in the eyes of many observers—into the Clinton orbit. Brock and his allies joined the group's board, while several longtime employees left." In 2015, CREW had revenue of just under $2.2 million. It filed just one lawsuit in 2015 and three in 2016, all asking the [[Federal Election Commission]] for stricter enforcement of campaign finance laws.<ref name=gerstein/>

===Trump administration===
CREW aggressively targeted the [[Donald Trump]] administration, filing its first lawsuit against Trump three days after his inauguration as U.S. president. According to ''New York'' magazine, "Since then, it has been launching actions against the administration and its allies in Congress at a rate of about one a day, filing lawsuits and public-record inquiries and lodging complaints with authorities like the Office of Government Ethics." In June 2017, ''New York'' wrote that "CREW is officially nonpartisan, but it's a thin veneer. For the last few years, it has been loosely aligned with a network of organizations, including the super-PAC American Bridge, run by Democratic operative David Brock. After the election, Brock promised to 'kick Donald Trump's ass,' saying in a fund-raising document that CREW's litigation strategy would assure Trump would be 'afflicted by a steady flow of damaging information.{{'"}} CREW co-founder [[Norman L. Eisen]] rejoined CREW in December 2016 and set about distancing the organization from Brock.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rice |first1=Andrew |title=Is Trump Inc. the President's Greatest Vulnerability? |url=http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/06/donald-trump-emoluments-clause-crew.html |access-date=6 August 2018 |work=New York |date=June 12, 2017}}</ref> Eisen stepped down from the board in February 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=CREW Statement on Norman Eisen |date=12 February 2019 |url=https://www.citizensforethics.org/press-release/crew-statement-on-norman-eisen/ |publisher=CREW |access-date=6 April 2020}}</ref>

In January 2018, CREW issued a 36-page report on Trump's presidency, calling it the "most unethical presidency" in U.S. history.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pasha-Robinson |first1=Lucy |title=Donald Trump presidency 'most unethical in modern history', report finds |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-white-house-unethical-us-president-ethics-crew-report-washington-dc-a8163401.html |access-date=6 August 2018 |work=The Independent |date=January 17, 2018}}</ref> In February 2018, [[Environment & Energy Publishing]] wrote that Painter was "at the center of more than 180 legal challenges to Trump and his administration as vice chairman of the left-leaning Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Northey |first1=Hannah |title=Former Bush ethics czar on the 'nerd resistance,' suing Trump |url=https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060072785 |access-date=6 August 2018 |publisher=E&E News |date=February 2, 2018}}</ref>

During the 2020 [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the group received $432,000 in federally backed small business loans from [[Newtek Small Business]] as part of the Paycheck Protection Program.<ref name="wash_Afte">{{Cite news |title=After railing against federal spending, GOP lawmakers, conservative groups benefit from government aid program |author=Tom Hamburger |author2=Aaron Gregg |author3=Anu Narayanswamy |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=8 July 2020 |access-date=9 July 2020 |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/after-railing-against-federal-spending-gop-lawmakers-conservative-groups-benefit-from-small-business-loans/2020/07/08/4c57769e-c08b-11ea-b178-bb7b05b94af1_story.html}}</ref><ref name="proj_CITI">{{Cite web |title=CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIBILITY AND ETHICS IN WASHINGTON, INC.—Coronavirus Bailouts |last1=Syed |first1=Moiz |last2=Willis |first2=Derek |work=ProPublica |date=7 July 2020 |access-date=9 July 2020 |url= https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/citizens-for-responsibility-and-ethics-in-washington-inc-d9772fb01fc99b8c0ad3db6a29c8cf42}}</ref>

==Mission statements==
{{primary sources|section|date=August 2018}}
{{Progressivism sidebar}}The organization's website says it is "dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government and public life by targeting government officials who sacrifice the common good to special interests."<ref name=about/> The CREW mission statement has changed several times between 2005 and 2008 to de-emphasize its focus on personal litigation, dropping language that once read that CREW "differs from other good government groups in that it sues offending politicians directly" and that it "is a non-partisan legal watchdog group working to force our government officials to behave responsibly and ethically. CREW's mission is to use the legal system to expose government officials who betray the public interest by serving special interests. CREW aims to counterbalance the conservative legal watchdog groups that made such a strong impact over the past decade". It added that CREW "advances its mission using a combination of research, litigation and media outreach."<ref name="RollCall"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.citizensforethics.org/ |title=Original Mission Statement; website—2003 |access-date=2004-07-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040730122215/http://www.citizensforethics.org/ |archive-date=2004-07-30 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2015, the organization's mission stated, "CREW uses high-impact legal actions to target government officials who sacrifice the common good to special interests <small>[...]</small> we work to ensure government officials—regardless of party affiliation—act with honesty and integrity and merit the public trust."<ref>[http://www.citizensforethics.org/pages/mission CREW Mission statement] {{webarchive|url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20151202225914/http%3A//www.citizensforethics.org/pages/mission |date=2015-12-02 }}; CitizensForEthics.org; accessed December 15, 2015.</ref>

As of 2018, the organization's mission states, "Dedicated to fighting the influence of money on our political system. CREW uses aggressive legal action, in-depth research, and bold communications to reduce the influence of money in politics and help foster a government that is ethical and accountable. We highlight abuses, change behavior, and lay the groundwork for new policies and approaches that encourage public officials to work for the benefit of the people, not powerful interests."<ref>{{cite web|title=About Us|url=https://www.citizensforethics.org/|publisher=Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington|access-date=23 February 2018}}</ref>

==Activities==
According to the organization, its activities include litigation, [[Freedom of information legislation|FOIA]] requests, congressional ethics complaints, [[Internal Revenue Service]] complaints, [[Federal Election Commission]] complaints, and requests for investigation with government agencies.<ref name="about"/>

;CREW's Most Corrupt list
Each year since 2005, CREW has published its "Most Corrupt Members of Congress" report. The 2012 election cycle saw 11 of the 32 lawmakers included in the last two reports either defeated or retiring.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lipton|first=Eric|title=Ethics in Play, Voters Oust Incumbents Under Scrutiny|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/09/us/politics/voters-oust-lawmakers-accused-of-ethics-violations.html|access-date=November 23, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 8, 2012}}</ref> As of 2014, the list had named 88 individuals, 63 of them Republicans and 25 Democrats.<ref name=vogel>{{cite news|last1=Vogel|first1=Kenneth|title=David Brock expands empire|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/david-brock-citizens-for-responsibility-and-ethics-in-washington-110003|access-date=11 November 2015|publisher=Politico|date=August 13, 2014}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130705063158/http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/mostcorrupt CREW's Most Corrupt Members of Congress]; CREW website</ref> The last report was in 2013.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2013/09/18/crew-names-13-most-corrupt-members-congress | title=CREW Names 13 Most Corrupt Members of Congress }}</ref>

;Family Affair report
In 2012, CREW released a report entitled ''Family Affair'', which examined how members of Congress had used their positions to benefit themselves and their families. The report included 248 members of the [[United States House of Representatives]], 105 Democrats and 143 Republicans, "about equal to their parties' proportional makeup in the House."<ref>{{cite news|last=Lipton|first=Eric|title=Study Shows How House Members and Families Reap Benefits|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/us/politics/study-shows-how-house-members-and-families-reap-benefits.html|access-date=May 28, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 22, 2012}}</ref> Common practices that do not appear to violate laws or House ethics rules but still raise ethical questions<ref>{{cite news|last=O'Keefe|first=Ed|title=Study: Ron Paul's House seat enriches his family|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/2chambers/post/study-ron-pauls-house-seat-enriches-his-family/2012/03/22/gIQAfHuSTS_blog.html|access-date=May 28, 2012|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=March 22, 2012}}</ref> include: paying family for congressional office and campaign work, collecting reimbursements from official US House and campaign budgets, earmarking to projects connected with family members, and charging interest on personal loans given to their campaigns.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bingham|first=Amy|title=House Members Give Their Families Millions in Campaign Cash|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/03/house-members-dole-out-millions-in-campaign-cash-to-families|access-date=May 28, 2012|newspaper=ABC News|date=March 22, 2012}}</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20130414112615/http://www.citizensforethics.org/pages/family-affair-report-reveals-nepotism-abuse-in-congress/ Family Affair—Full report]; CREW website</ref>

;Criticism of Continuing Appropriations Resolution
CREW raised questions about some of the content of the [[Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 (H.J.Res 59; 113th Congress)]]. One controversial provision of the bill was section 134, which stated that "notwithstanding any other provision of this joint resolution, there is appropriated for payment to Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg, widow of [[Frank Lautenberg|Frank R. Lautenberg]], late a Senator from New Jersey, $174,000."<ref name=money4widow1>{{cite news|last=Kasperowicz|first=Pete|title=House spending bill includes $174,000 payment to deceased senator's widow|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/183088-house-spending-bill-includes-174000-payment-to-deceased-senators-widow/|access-date=September 23, 2013|newspaper=The Hill|date=September 20, 2013}}</ref> CREW protested the inclusion of this in the bill, since Lautenberg's assets in 2011 were over $57 million. The group questioned why this "death gratuity" was considered a "top funding priority".<ref name="money4widow1"/>

;Emoluments Clause
{{see also|CREW v. Trump}}
A legal team representing CREW (including [[Laurence H. Tribe]], [[Norman L. Eisen]], [[Erwin Chemerinsky]], [[Richard Painter]], and [[Zephyr Teachout]]) announced its intention to file suit in federal court in New York on January 23, 2017, on the grounds that President [[Donald Trump]]'s business interests violate a provision in the [[Foreign Emoluments Clause|Emoluments Clause]] in [[United States Constitution|the Constitution]] by receiving payments from foreign government entities. The suit has asked the court to order Trump to stop receiving payments from foreign government via his hotels, golf courses, rentals and leased properties.<ref name="NYT_Lipton_Liptak_2017">{{citation|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/22/us/politics/trump-foreign-payments-constitution-lawsuit.html|title=Foreign Payments to Trump Firms Violate Constitution, Suit Will Claim|author1=Eric Lipton|author2=Adam Liptak|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 22, 2017|location=Washington, DC|access-date=January 22, 2017|archive-date=January 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125034946/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/22/us/politics/trump-foreign-payments-constitution-lawsuit.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> United States District Judge [[George B. Daniels]] dismissed the case on December 21, 2017, holding that plaintiffs lacked standing.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/judge-dismisses-lawsuit-alleging-trump-violated-constitution/2017/12/21/31011510-e697-11e7-ab50-621fe0588340_story.html|title=Judge dismisses lawsuit alleging Trump violated Constitution|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=December 21, 2017}}</ref><ref name="OrderGrantingMotDismiss">''[https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/EmolumentsDismissal.pdf Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington v. Trump]'', 17 Civ. 458 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 21, 2017).</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Horowitz |first1=Julia |title=Judge throws out ethics case against President Trump |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/12/21/news/judge-dismisses-crew-trump-lawsuit/index.html |access-date=17 July 2018 |publisher=CNN |date=December 21, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kroll |first1=Andy |title=Judge Tosses Out Lawsuit Targeting Trump's Foreign Business Dealings |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/12/trump-emoluments-lawsuit-crew-tossed-out/ |access-date=31 July 2018 |publisher=Mother Jones |date=December 21, 2017}}</ref> CREW announced plans to appeal, and separate Emolument Clause lawsuits are pending in other judicial districts.<ref name="OverbyJan19">Peter Overby, [https://www.npr.org/2018/01/19/577492794/1-emoluments-clause-lawsuit-is-dismissed-trump-faces-others-in-2018 1 Emoluments Clause Lawsuit Is Dismissed, Trump Faces Others In 2018], ''Morning Edition'', NPR (January 19, 2018).</ref><ref name="OverbyJan26">Peter Overby, [https://www.npr.org/2018/01/26/580896375/federal-judge-seems-sympathetic-to-anti-corruption-case-against-president-trump Federal Judge Seems Sympathetic To Anti-Corruption Case Against President Trump], ''Morning Edition'', NPR (January 26, 2018).</ref>

;Presidential Records Act
{{see also|CREW and National Security Archive v. Trump and EOP}}
CREW joined with the National Security Archive to challenge Trump's deletion of tweets as a violation of the Presidential Records Act of 1981.<ref name="Trump sued for deleting tweets and White House use of encrypted messaging apps">{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/trump-lawsuit-watchdog-group-records-signal-confide-twitter-destroy-628281 |newspaper=Newsweek|date=2017-06-22|title=Trump sued for deleting tweets and White House use of encrypted messaging apps}}</ref>

==Personnel==
Norman L. Eisen, an attorney specializing in fraud, and eventual (in 2009) Special Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform in the White House, co-founded CREW in 2003. He became known for his stringent ethics and anti-corruption efforts, and for limiting registered lobbyists from taking positions in the administration.<ref name=vogel/><ref name="eli">{{cite news|title=When White House Has Queries About Ethics Rules, Adviser Norm Eisen Answers the Call|first=Eli|last=Saslow|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/12/AR2009031203748.html?sid=ST2009031204059|agency=[[The Washington Post]]|date=March 13, 2009|access-date=December 15, 2012}}</ref>

Melanie Sloan served as CREW's first executive director. In August 2014 former Republican activist and current Democratic activist [[David Brock]] was elected chairman of CREW's board, and Sloan announced her intention to resign as executive director, pending Brock's hiring of a new executive director. Prior to co-founding CREW in 2003, Sloan served as one of more than 300 Assistant [[U.S. Attorney]]s in the [[District of Columbia]] from 1998 to 2003 after having worked for congressional Democrats [[John Conyers]], [[Charles Schumer]], and [[Joseph Biden]].<ref name=Staff>{{cite web|publisher=Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington|title=CREW Crew|url=http://www.citizensforethics.org/about/staff|access-date=2010-04-02|archive-date=2012-09-06|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20120906023218/http://www.citizensforethics.org/about/staff|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Mark Penn]], pollster for [[Bill Gates]], [[Tony Blair]], both [[Bill Clinton|Bill]] and [[Hillary Clinton]], also became a director and vice president at CREW.<ref name="Sakol3">{{cite book|last1=Gerth|first1=Jeff|title=Her way: the hopes and ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton|year=2007|publisher=Little, Brown and Co.|location=New York|isbn=978-0-316-01742-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/herwayhopesambit00gert/page/267 267]|url=https://archive.org/details/herwayhopesambit00gert|url-access=registration|edition=1st|last2=Van Natta, Jr.|first2=Don|access-date=2013-07-19}}</ref>

Brock was elected as CREW's board president after laying out a broad plan to turn the organization into a more muscular organization. Along with Brock, consultant David Mercer and investor Wayne Jordan joined CREW's board of directors.<ref name=vogel/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://onpolitics.usatoday.com/2014/08/14/ethics-watchdog-drops-its-non-partisan-veneer/|title=Ethics watchdog drops its non-partisan veneer|publisher=USA Today|date=August 14, 2014}}</ref>

Noah Bookbinder, a former Justice Department prosecutor and Chief Counsel for the U.S. Senate's Judiciary Committee where he advised Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator [[Patrick Leahy]] (D-VT), was named executive director of CREW in March, 2015.<ref>[http://www.citizensforethics.org/press-release/crew-names-noah-bookbinder-executive-director/ CREW Names Noah Bookbinder Executive Director] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211081758/http://www.citizensforethics.org/press-release/crew-names-noah-bookbinder-executive-director/ |date=2017-02-11 }}; CREW Press release; February 26, 2015.</ref>

Brock left CREW in December 2016, and was replaced as chairman of the board of directors by former [[George W. Bush]] ethics lawyer [[Richard Painter]].<ref>[https://www.citizensforethics.org/press-release/norman-eisen-richard-painter-lead-crew-board/ Norman Eisen and Richard Painter to Lead CREW Board]; Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington—Press Release; December 7, 2016</ref>

==Allegations of partisanship==
CREW operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit prohibited from engaging in partisan activity. In 2010, [[Ben Smith (journalist)|Ben Smith]] of ''[[Politico (newspaper)|Politico]]'' described CREW's founding in 2003 as "one of a wave of new groups backed by liberal donors" and called CREW "a vehicle for assaults on largely—but not entirely—Republican targets",<ref name=staffing>Ben Smith, [https://www.politico.com/blogs/ben-smith/2010/11/staffing-up-for-congressional-investigations-030904 "Staffing up for Congressional investigations"], Politico.com, November 18, 2010.</ref> but a 2010 Associated Press story stated that CREW "has a history of targeting members of Congress representing different races, philosophies and both major parties."<ref>{{cite news|last=McGill|first=Kevin|title=Watchdog group seeks Senate probe of Vitter|url=http://www.sulphurdailynews.com/article/20100923/NEWS/309239969|access-date=June 16, 2011|newspaper=Sulphur Daily News|agency=Associated Press|date=September 22, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130719153401/http://www.sulphurdailynews.com/article/20100923/NEWS/309239969|archive-date=July 19, 2013}}</ref>

Writers for ''[[The Washington Post]]'' have called CREW a "nonpartisan watchdog group"<ref name="wapo-waters">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/13/AR2010081305872.html|title=Rep. Maxine Waters blasts ethics panel and media, defends links to OneUnited|access-date=2010-08-14|last=Bacon, Jr.|first=Perry|date=2010-08-14|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> and a "liberal watchdog",<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/liberal-watchdog-group-sues-trump-alleging-he-violated-constitutional-ban/2017/01/22/5e8b35c2-e113-11e6-a547-5fb9411d332c_story.html |title=Liberal watchdog group sues Trump, alleging he violated constitutional ban |access-date=July 25, 2017 |author1=David A. Fahrenthold |author-link=David Fahrenthold |author2=Jonathan O'Connell |date=July 25, 2017 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> while ''[[Fox News]]'' has called it "a liberal-funded watchdog group"<ref name="FNC">{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/watchdog-group-files-lawsuit-against-trump-over-foreign-payments/|title=Watchdog group files lawsuit against Trump over foreign payments|date=January 23, 2017|publisher=Fox News Channel|access-date=January 24, 2017}}</ref> and the ''[[New York Daily News]]'' has described it as "nonpartisan".<ref>[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/trump-deep-ties-business-empire-remain-trust-documents-article-1.2964043 President Trump's deep ties to his business empire remain, trust documents show]; ''[[New York Daily News]]''; Chris Sommerfeldt; February 4, 2017</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' has called CREW a "liberal government watchdog group"<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/style/eric-goode-donald-trump-emoluments-clause.html |title=Eric Goode, a New York Night-Life Impresario, Takes On Trump |access-date=July 25, 2017 |author1=Katherine Rosman |date=June 1, 2017 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> while ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' calls it "nonpartisan".<ref>[https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2017-01-03/secret-house-gop-vote-guts-ethics-panel-prompts-outcry Secret House GOP Vote Guts Ethics Panel, Prompts Outcry  ]; ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]''; Gabrielle Levy; Jan. 3, 2017</ref> In a report specifically about CREW, the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' noted the group "calls itself nonpartisan, but progressive", and employs staff from both Republican and Democratic administrations.<ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-trump-business-conflicts-lawsuit-20170123-story.html A look at the group suing Trump over business conflicts]; ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''; January 23, 2017</ref>

After CREW named him one of the "13 most corrupt members of Congress" in 2005, U.S. Senator [[Conrad Burns]] (R-MT) called the group "partisan hacks" and their allegations "maliciously false". The ''[[Billings Gazette]]'' reported that CREW defended itself:<ref name="bill">{{cite web|url=http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_052d5c44-e769-5e49-a056-d9c85abc56a8.html|title=Burns calls 'corrupt' label from group 'maliciously false'|access-date=2008-07-31|last=Johnson|first=Charles S.|date=2005-10-02|work=[[Billings Gazette]]}}</ref> Naomi Seligman, the group's deputy director, said "We've gone after a fair number of Democrats, even in this study" [and Burns] "should be answering the charges, not slinging charges."

In 2006, ''[[Congressional Quarterly]]'' reported, "Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has taken aim almost exclusively at GOP members of Congress. Since its founding in 2003, it [helped] investigate 21 lawmakers, only one of them a Democrat" (Senator [[Blanche Lincoln]] of Arkansas, in a complaint that also targeted Senator [[Bill Frist]] (R-TN), then Senate Majority Leader).<ref name=TheHill0306>{{cite news|last=Bolton|first=Alexander|title=Watchdog's tax status, politics are questioned|newspaper=The Hill|date=March 14, 2006}}</ref><ref>''Congressional Quarterly Weekly'', volume 65, p. 107</ref> A report by ''[[McClatchy News Service]]'' called CREW "a Democratic-leaning watchdog group".<ref name="McClatchy3">Greg Gordon,[http://www.mcclatchydc.com/incoming/article24458383.html "Congressman in tight race for re-election comes under federal investigation"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208234747/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/incoming/article24458383.html |date=2015-12-08 }}, mcclatchydc.com, October 13, 2006.</ref>

In 2007, ''[[Ms. Magazine]]'' quoted longtime Democratic pollster [[Celinda Lake]] as saying, "Corruption was a top issue in the [2006] midterm elections, and CREW was critical to the Democrats' success. The fact that they were bipartisan and had created this dirty-dozen list of corrupt politicians really helped people process that these politicians were acting well outside the norm."<ref name="burstyn"/>

The journal ''[[Broadcasting & Cable]]'' in 2011 described CREW's former chief legal counsel, Anne Weismann, as "a Democrat-recommended witness and so the closest to an [Obama] administration defender".<ref name="Transparency">[http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/467737-House_Republicans_Hammer_White_House_on_Transparency.php online "House Republicans Hammer White House on Transparency"], Broadcasting & Cable magazine, May 3, 2011.</ref>

When asked in 2014 if CREW would continue pursuing complaints against Democrats, Brock responded, "No party has a monopoly on corruption and at this early juncture, we are not making categorical statements about anything that we will and won't do. Having said that, our experience has been that the vast amount of violations of the public trust can be found on the conservative side of the aisle."<ref name=vogel/> During a span of "recent months" in early 2016, Republicans were reportedly the target of the vast majority of CREW's campaign-finance allegations.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Allison |first1=Bill |title=CREW's Watchdog Status Fades After Arrival of Democrat David Brock |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-11/washington-watchdog-adjusts-to-life-with-partisan-roommates |access-date=17 July 2018 |publisher=Bloomberg |date=April 11, 2016}}</ref>

===''Roll Call'' article===
''[[Roll Call]]'' reported in January 2008 that CREW files most of its complaints against members of Congress, and "all but a handful ... have targeted Republicans". The article stated that CREW had issued press releases against Democrats but had usually not filed complaints against them, with the exception of now former Senator [[Mary Landrieu]] (D-LA), a conservative Democrat.<ref name="RollCall">{{cite news|url=http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_85/-21796-1.html|title=Watchdog, Donors Share Common Foes|access-date=2010-04-02|last=Singer|first=Paul|date=2008-01-29|work=[[Roll Call]]|quote=CREW has named Democratic Reps. [[John Murtha]] (Pa.), [[Alan Mollohan]] (W.Va.) and [[Maxine Waters]] (Calif.) to its "most corrupt" list, but never has released a separate ethics complaint against any of them.
}}</ref> CREW defended itself to ''Roll Call'':

{{quote|"CREW is a nonpartisan organization that targets unethical conduct", [Deputy Director Naomi] Seligman wrote... "Now that the Democrats are in power, they will have opportunities for corruption that were previously reserved to Republicans and it is likely we will see more Democratic corruption."}}

After the article was published, CREW stated that it was "baseless" and "omitted key facts". CREW suggested the ''Roll Call'' reporter had been prompted by a conversation with Landrieu, the target of a recent CREW lawsuit at the time.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20101202034914/http://citizensforethics.org/taxonomy/term/1200 CREW archives]; accessed November 11, 2015.</ref>

==Funding==
''Roll Call'' reported that CREW doesn't disclose its donor list, and quoted former Deputy Director Naomi Seligman as saying that "donors play no role in CREW's decisions as to the groups or politicians we target."<ref name="RollCall"/> Donors to CREW have included such groups as [[Democracy Alliance]], [[Service Employees International Union]], the [[Arca Foundation]],<ref>[http://www.arcafoundation.org/history.htm Arca Foundation]</ref> and the [[Gill Foundation]].<ref name=RollCall/><ref name=ADG>{{cite web|url=http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2009/sep/24/inquiry-sought-ross-deal-20090924|title=Inquiry is sought in Ross deal|access-date=2010-04-03|last=Daniels|first=Alex|date=2009-09-24|work=[[Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]]}}</ref><ref name=WP>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/16/AR2006071600882_pf.html|title=A New Alliance Of Democrats Spreads Funding: But Some in Party Bristle At Secrecy and Liberal Tilt|access-date=2010-04-04|last=VandeHei|first=Jim|date=2006-07-17|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

In January 2012, [[Democracy Alliance]] dropped a number of prominent organizations, including CREW, from their list of recommended organizations to receive donations. Support was withdrawn because these groups are more apt to work outside the Democratic Party's infrastructure.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/28/democracy-alliance-dumps-_n_1306867.html|work=Huffington Post|first=Ryan|last=Grim|title=Liberal Donor Network Dumps Progressive Organizations|date=2012-02-28}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Campaign for Accountability]]
* [[Center for Effective Government]]
* [[Government Accountability Project]]
* [[Project On Government Oversight]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
* {{Official website}}
* {{ProPublicaNonprofitExplorer|30445391}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Citizens For Responsibility And Ethics In Washington}}
[[Category:Business ethics organizations]]
[[Category:Charities based in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Ethics organizations]]
[[Category:Government watchdog groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 2003]]
[[Category:Political organizations based in the United States]]
[[Category:Progressivism in the United States]]
[[Category:Whistleblower support organizations]]
[[Category:2003 establishments in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Progressive organizations in the United States]]