Wednesday, September 16, 2009

House Probes Graves, Jackson And Waters

By Bara Vaida

The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct announced today that it has voted to extend investigations into activities by Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.

The committee did not say what activity it was investigating regarding Graves or Waters.

It did say, however, that the investigation of Graves was authorized, though the committee "did not find a 'substantial reason to believe' that there was a substantive violation of any provisions of the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other standard," because the panel had identified "exculpatory evidence" gathered by the Office of Congressional Ethics that had not been provided to Graves, and "in the interests of justice" should have been provided to him.

In the case of Jackson, the committee said that it was investigating whether or not Jackson "may have offered to raise funds for then-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich in return for the appointment" to the Illinois Senate seat vacated by President Obama.

Click here to see the committee's press releases.

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