Panel continues ethics review of GOP leader
Source: USA Today
Panel continues ethics review of GOP leader
Paul Singer and Fredreka Schouten, USA TODAY 4:31 p.m. EDT March 24, 2014
The House Ethics Committee announced Monday that it would continue its review of misconduct allegations against Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. — as it released a 32-page investigative report charging she used taxpayer money to help her 2012 re-election campaign.
The panel's action stops short of launching a formal investigation into the conduct of McMorris Rodgers, who is the fourth-ranking Republican in the House. In a statement, the ethics committee said its decision to keep the case open does not imply any wrongdoing on her part.
McMorris Rodgers' attorney Elliot Berke said in a statement, "Neither Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers nor any other staff members were aware of this conduct and countered all of the allegations with the facts: At no time did they improperly mix official and campaign resources. As the record shows, the congresswoman and all other staff members complied with all laws, House rules and Standards of Conduct."
The case was referred to the Ethics Committee in December by the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, or OCE, which undertook a preliminary review of the allegations.
OCE's investigative report, released Monday afternoon, found evidence that McMorris Rodgers may have improperly used congressional staffers to help her prepare for two campaign debates, including using taxpayer money to fly aides to Washington state where the debates occurred. Investigators said she apparently used her office staff to draft campaign news releases and speeches.
Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/03/24/mcmorris-rodgers-ethics/6740301/
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