U.S. House Ethics Committee Again Expands Investigation Into Arizona Rep. David Schweikert
The U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Committee is expanding its investigation into Rep. David Schweikert.
On Thursday, the committee unanimously voted to expand the investigation into allegations that:
- "Representative Schweikert may have used official resources to benefit his campaign or pressured congressional staff to perform political activity
- Representative Schweikert may have authorized compensation to an employee who did not perform duties commensurate with his House employment
- Representative Schweikert or his campaign committee may have received loans or gifts from a congressional employee
- Representative Schweikert may have omitted required information from his annual House financial disclosure statements and Federal Election Commission candidate committee reports."
Following an independent investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics, the committee opened a formal probe in June. Schweikert’s chief of staff stepped down in July.
The committee had originally said it would release their findings in mid-November, before election day. The committee did not respond to multiple requests for information or comment on why the deadline was missed.
In November the Republican won re-election and is scheduled to start his fifth term representing Arizona's 6th Congressional District in January.
When the committee opened it's investigation, Schweikert told Fox News, "this was a clerical screw-up" and "we should have caught it."
