“A law designed to prevent conflicts of interest and shed light on lawmakers who negotiate for post-Capitol Hill work while still in office has failed, worn thin by a series of administrative rulings and narrow interpretations,” National Journal reports.

“The result is that lawmakers themselves now determine when a potential conflict exists and when disclosures should be released publicly. Moreover, because the law has yielded almost none of the public information it was designed to provide, it remains largely unknown whom lawmakers negotiate with–and whether their official duties present any conflicts with those employers.”

The House Ethics Committee will launch a formal investigation into alleged misconduct by Rep. Trey Radel (R-FL), Roll Call reports.

“Radel has been on leave since late last month, when news broke that he had been arrested in the District of Columbia for cocaine possession. He is now checked into a rehab clinic in Florida, where he says he is getting help for his addiction issues that will enable him to get back to work — despite the many calls in and out of his home state for him to step down.”

National Journal: “With its deadline just days away, the House Ethics Committee was
keeping mum Thursday on whether it would proceed with an inquiry into a
possible House punishment against Rep. Trey Radel (R-FL) for his
misdemeanor cocaine-possession conviction.”

The deadline is December 19th.

Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) last week alerted the House Ethics Committee “that he might have violated a new law restricting members of Congress from engaging in certain stock transactions,” the El Paso Times reports.

It is the first case to come before the committee involving a 2012 law that prohibits members of Congress from participating in initial public offerings, or IPOs, “other than what is available to members of the public generally.”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) “potentially violated ethics rules by failing to publicly disclose his financial relationship with a Caribbean-based holding company during the 2012 campaign,” Time reports.

“When Cruz later reported the financial relationship in 2013, he failed to comply with Senate rules requiring full identification of the holding company and its location, triggering an inquiry by Senate Select Committee on Ethics staff and a second amended disclosure.”

Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) “is pushing back against a legislative proposal that alludes to his prior connection to a prostitution scandal,” Roll Call reports.

Vitter asked the Senate Ethics Committee for an investigation of Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Ethics Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) contending that the offices of the two senators are running afoul of the rules with “attempted bribery.”

South Carolina State Sen. Robert Ford (D) resigned “effective immediately” as a hearing began on alleged ethics violations against him, The State reports.

Ford “is accused of depositing campaign donations into personal bank accounts, and spending campaign money on personal medical expenses, gym memberships and purchases from adult stores.”

But he denied the charges just yesterday: “I don’t take no money from my campaign for me. Every penny went for projects.”

“Iowa’s Supreme Court chief justice will appoint an independent investigator with full subpoena powers to probe alleged ethics and criminal violations by Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson, who is accused of being paid to work on U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann’s 2012 presidential campaign,” the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

“In a 4-2 bipartisan vote, the Iowa Senate Ethics Committee voted Wednesday to request that an independent counsel investigate two charges against Sorenson. The investigator also will look into allegations that Sorenson stole a private database of home-school families from the personal computer of another Bachmann campaign worker, then used it to solicit campaign support from thousands of home-school families in Iowa.”

Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over possible violation of House rules, the Chicago Tribune reports, but the ethics panel declined to make public what it is investigating.

However, a spokesman said the ethics review involved super PAC money and reports that Schock solicited a $25,000 contribution from Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s political action committee to help fund a super PAC that successfully backed Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) in a March primary against another Republican incumbent, Don Manzullo (R). 

The Crimson: “Harvard College’s disciplinary board is investigating nearly half of the 279 students who enrolled in Government 1310: ‘Introduction to Congress’ last spring for allegedly plagiarizing answers or inappropriately collaborating on the class’ final take-home exam.”

In a boost for his embattled reelection campaign, Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) “has been cleared by the Office of Congressional Ethics — an independent watchdog — of any fundraising violations,” Politico reports.

Update: “OCE’s findings cover only the period since Grimm became a member of the House in Jan. 2011. The DOJ probe is scrutinizing his initial run for Congress.”

The South Carolina House Ethics Committee will start a hearing to determine if Gov. Nikki Haley (R) illegally lobbied for her employers while she was a lawmaker, McClatchy reports.

It is the first time a governor has been investigated by the committee.

CNN has confirmed there are “no fewer than four congressional and federal investigations” into Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) “business practices, his campaign finances and his alleged attempt to try to stop a witness from talking.”

“Now that witness is stepping forward in an exclusive interview with CNN. Buchanan’s former business partner says the congressman schemed to launder money from his car dealerships into his campaign coffers, and then tried to get others to cover it up.”

The Office of Congressional Ethics has voted unanimously to clear Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL) on allegations of insider trading, the Birmingham News reports.

The 6-0 vote by the independent agency means the case does not move forward to the House Ethics Committee.

A new report finds that 248 members of Congress allegedly used their positions to benefit their families since 2008.

The report found that 82 members — 40 Democrats and 42 Republicans — paid family members through their congressional offices, campaign committees and political action committees but highlighted Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) as an example, noting he “paid six relatives salaries or fees, the most of any member.”

[Read more…]