Office of Congressional Ethics

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House Ethics Chief Accused of Assaulting Women

Omar Ashmawy says he was the victim of an unprovoked attack

(Newser) - The man in charge of preliminary investigations into allegations of misconduct in the House of Representatives is himself accused of physically and verbally assaulting women. A lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania alleges that Omar Ashmawy, staff director at the Office of Congressional Ethics, initiated a 2015 Valentine's Day brawl at...

GOP Flip-Flops, Won't Gut Ethics Office After Outcry

Republicans reinstate old Office of Congressional Ethics rules

(Newser) - That was quick. Less than 24 hours after voting to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics in a secret meeting Monday, House Republicans passed a motion during an emergency meeting Tuesday to restore the independent office's old rules following a "firestorm of criticism," the Los Angeles Times...

House GOP Votes to 'Effectively Kill' Ethics Watchdog

Office of Congressional Ethics will lose authority

(Newser) - Did the swamp just vote against drains? House Republicans bucked party leaders Monday night with a vote that the New York Times reports will hobble and "effectively kill" their independent ethics watchdog. Under a change that comes as part of a rules package for the 115th Congress, which will...

Bachmann Campaign Facing Congressional Ethics Probe

Just the latest trouble for former presidential candidate

(Newser) - Michele Bachmann's presidential campaign is being investigated by the Office of Congressional Ethics, the Daily Beast reports in a piece comparing Bachmann to the Hindenburg and the Titanic. Federal investigators are looking into alleged campaign finance improprieties, and several former campaign staffers acknowledge they've been interviewed. The allegations...

Insider-Trading Probe Targets House Committee Chair

Rep. Spencer Bachus faces first-of-its-kind ethics investigation

(Newser) - Foxes have been found guarding hen houses on Capitol Hill in the past, but ethics investigators now believe they have identified a particularly greedy one. Rep. Spencer Bachus, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, is being probed for possible violations of insider-trading laws, reports the Washington Post . The investigation...

Peter Schweizer: Legal 'Insider Trading' Rampant in Congress

 New Book: 
 Insider Trading 
 Rampant in  
 Congress 
in case you missed it
Nov 19, 2011 6:58 AM CST

New Book: Insider Trading Rampant in Congress

Members reap benefits of policy knowledge on Wall Street

(Newser) - In Congress, it’s easy to do the kind of stock trading that “would send the rest of us to prison,” writes Peter Schweizer in a new book on the Hill’s upside-down ethics. Members of Congress are, of course, equipped with insider knowledge about upcoming policy, and...

Florida Democrat Faces Sexual Harassment Inquiry

Office of Congressional Ethics investigates Alcee Hastings

(Newser) - The Office of Congressional Ethics is investigating allegations that Democrat Alcee Hastings sexually harassed a staffer on a panel he chaired, the Wall Street Journal reports. The investigation began at least a month ago, when the conservative group Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit on behalf of Republican staffer Winsome Packer,...

Tea Party to Boehner: Hands Off the Ethics Office

Speaker-elect opposed office's creation

(Newser) - Three Tea Party groups are teaming up with a number of watchdog groups to send a message to Republicans: Don’t mess with the Office of Congressional Ethics. Speaker-elect John Boehner was an ardent opponent of the OCE’s creation, as was cohort Eric Cantor, and many have speculated that...

Are Reps Abusing House Travel Funds?
 Are Reps 
 Abusing House 
 Travel Funds? 



investigation
Aug 31, 2010 8:09 AM CDT

Are Reps Abusing House Travel Funds?

House members failed to return leftover travel allowances

(Newser) - Another day, another House ethics investigation: This time, watchdogs are investigating a half-dozen lawmakers believed to have kept or misspent federal funds meant to pay for overseas travel, insiders say. Members of Congress are given a daily allowance—anywhere from $25 in Kabul to $250 in parts of Japan—when...

House Ethics Watchdog Investigating Jackson Jr.

(Newser) - A House ethics panel has launched a “preliminary review” of Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr's bid for President Obama’s vacant Senate seat, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The Office of Congressional Ethics, formed last year as an “investigative entity” of private citizens, will look at communications between Jackson’...

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