The Office of Congressional Ethics is investigating Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL), over possible violations of insider-trading laws, the Washington Post reports.
Bachus, who holds one of the most influential positions in the House chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, "has been a frequent trader on Capitol Hill, buying stock options while overseeing the nation's banking and financial services industries."
"The case is the first of its kind involving a member of Congress. It comes at a time of intense public scrutiny of congressional ethics, with the House passing legislation Thursday to tighten rules against insider trading by lawmakers. The impetus for the legislation, a version of which passed in the Senate a week earlier, came from a 60 Minutes report and a book mentioning Bachus's trades, Throw Them All Out, by Peter Schweizer."