House Ethics Leak

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House Ethics Leak

Ethics Hires Special Prosecutor For Waters' Case Amid Turmoil

Susan Crabtree | July 20, 2011, 1:09PM

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)

The House Ethics Committee has hired a special prosecutor to handle the case against Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), a two-year investigation that has become mired in allegations of prosecutorial misconduct and partisan maneuvering.

The panel announced the hire of Billy Martin, a partner at the Washington office of Dorsey & Whitney, in a lengthy statement Wednesday, which came in the wake of an unprecedented document leak airing the committee's dirty laundry in excruciating detail. It was a unanimous decision, the panel said.

The scores of Ethics Committee e-mails and memos, reported by Politico Monday with links to the documents, paint a picture of a committee consumed by partisan dysfunction and accusations of professional misconduct surrounding Waters' case.

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Topics: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Campaign Legal Center , Charlie Rangel, Democracy 21, Ethics, House Ethics Committee, House Ethics Leak, Jo Bonner, Linda Sanchez, Maxine Waters, Public Citizen, TARP, Taxpayer Dollars

House Ethics Office Investigates Rep. Schmidt's Ties To Turkish-American Interest Group

Susan Crabtree | February 14, 2011, 10:44PM

Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH)

The Office of Congressional Ethics is looking into the legal assistance that Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) is allegedly receiving from a Turkish-American interest group, according to a report in Roll Call.

Bruce Fein, an attorney for Schmidt, told the Capitol Hill newspaper that he is responding to an OCE request but would not say whether or how Schmidt is paying for his legal services.

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Topics: Bruce Fein, House Ethics Committee, House Ethics Leak, Jean Schmidt, Turkey

House Ethics Leak

Leaked House Ethics Doc: Less Than Meets The Eye?

Justin Elliott | October 30, 2009, 1:44PM

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), October 29, 2009

The cable news networks have jumped all over the ethics document leaked to the Washington Post showing that over 30 members of Congress have been subjects of "inquiries" by the House ethics committee.

And the Post is having fun dissecting the weekly ethics summary report from July, publishing a new round of stories this morning looking at specific cases highlighted in the document.

But nearly all of the new stories show that the members in question were cleared of wrongdoing, and it's worth asking how much new information has really come to light.