"He thinks scruples are money in Russia, and morals are pictures painted on walls."

House Republicans are considering changing ethics rules so it would be harder to bring complaints against fellow members.

One proposal requires that a majority of committee members must approve any investigation of a House member. Currently, investigations can move ahead even if the committee is deadlocked. Another proposal has been criticized for making it more difficult to enforce ethics rules.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois) is also trying to remove ethics committee chair Rep. Joel Helfley (R-Colorado), who oversaw Rep. Tom DeLay's recent spanking.