Blake Chisam, the staff director and chief counsel of the House ethics committee who was chosen by Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), will be departing the key position imminently, The Hill reported. Chisam tendered his resignation before the election, but his departure is fueling speculation that Lofgren wants to leave the committee as well, the newspaper reports.
Chisam oversaw the committee’s case against Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and the delay of the trial of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA).
One of the panel’s members, Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) called on Republicans and Democrats to appoint new members to the panel in order to restore its integrity. Butterfield said he no longer wishes to serve on the committee.
“We need a complete reconstitution of the committee from top to bottom in order to restore confidence in the committee,” Butterfield told the Hill.
Chisam reportedly suspended two staff lawyers who sources said may have investigated Waters after the committee already decided to move forward. A lawyer for the two lawyers has declined comment, and Chisam has imposed radio silence from ethics committee staffers.
Meanwhile, the committee decided to extend the probe of three members — Reps. John Campbell (R-CA), Tom Price (R-GA) and Joseph Crowley (D-NY) — into the next session of Congress. The ethics committee is looking at whether their fundraising was connected to their votes on the financial regulation law.
Ryan J. Reilly
Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com.
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