OREM — The House Ethics Committee, with its seats evenly split among Democrats and Republicans, is largely ineffective, said Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah.

"You can never get anything out of committee," Cannon said Monday at a discussion about government and ethics at Utah Valley State College. "The system does not accommodate a resolution. And that's the problem."

The problem is largely due to partisan politics, Cannon noted, citing recent ethics charges against House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas. Cannon contends the alleged ethics violations are a political maneuver by Democrats to gain power in the deadlocked committee.

DeLay has been criticized for taking overseas trips that may have been paid for by lobbyists.

Cannon stopped short of dismissing the study of ethics or the value of having ethics investigations, however.

Knowledge is growing at a fast pace, and so are the ethical implications, Cannon said, giving kudos to UVSC's academic ethics program.

"Ethics is not simple," he said. If people do not understand how Hindus or Muslims reason, "I don't know how you can make a decision as a Mormon, Christian or Southern Baptist."

Cannon served on the House Judiciary Committee and worked on the impeachment trial against President Bill Clinton. Cannon insists the focus of that case was about ethics despite how the media reported it.

"It's easy to confuse sex with perjury and obstruction of justice, and a lot of people were doing that," he said.

Not every ethical slip-up should be made public, Cannon said. Sometimes the ethical dilemmas are created by a congressman's staff.

Cannon recalled an ethical quandary he experienced as a sophomore in the House of Representatives, when he overheard a freshman using his telephone on the floor for campaign business. That's clearly against the rules, Cannon said.

Other congressmen were discussing in whispers whether material on that representative's Web site was ethical.

Instead of reporting the improper use of the telephone to the ethics committee, Cannon decided to talk to his colleague in person.

Cannon wanted to give the congressional newcomer, whom he declined to identify, the benefit of the doubt, because there are many rules and protocols to learn at the beginning of a political career, he said.

Cannon did not take questions after his talk. He was whisked away from UVSC.

"I don't think every defect needs to be made public because we're all human and humans make mistakes," he said.

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E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com