Pursuant to Committee Rule 7(g), the Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics (Committee) determined on March 23, 2017, to release the following statement:
On August 31, 2016, the Committee on Ethics received a referral from the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) regarding Representative Duncan Hunter. Pursuant to House Rule XI, clause 3(b)(8)(A) and Committee Rules 17A(b)(1)(A), 17A(c)(1) and 17A(j), the Chairman and Ranking Member jointly decided on December 15, 2016 to extend the Committee’s review of the matter.
The Department of Justice has asked the Committee to defer consideration of this matter and the Committee, following precedent, unanimously voted on March 22, 2017, to defer consideration of this matter at this time. Pursuant to Committee Rule 17A(h)(1), the Committee is making the OCE’s Report in this matter public. Under that rule, when the Committee votes to defer in this manner, it must release the Report, but not the Findings, along with a public statement announcing its deferral. At least annually, the Committee will make a public statement if it continues to defer taking action on the matter. The Committee notes that the mere fact of its decision to defer action on this matter, and any mandatory disclosure of that decision and the OCE’s Report, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.