Pursuant to Committee Rule 7(g), the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (Standards Committee) determined to release the following statement:
The Standards Committee has unanimously voted to release a public Report finding that, based upon the totality of current information gathered during the past nine months, no House Member or employee violated any provision of the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other standard of conduct applicable to his or her conduct in the performance of his or her duties or the discharge of his or her responsibilities relating to proposed appropriations requests and activities of the former lobbying group, Paul Magliocchetti and Associates Group, Inc., known as PMA.
The Standards Committee’s staff reviewed close to one-quarter of a million pages of documents. The investigation covered more than 40 companies with ties to PMA and more than 25 Member offices. It involved interviews with CEOs of companies, and chiefs of staff and military legislative aides to Members, among other staffers.
Accordingly, the Standards Committee hereby closes its investigation in the above-captioned matter, which includes the dismissal of seven separate matters that the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) forwarded to the Standards Committee. Each of those matters concerned allegations related to the activities of PMA. OCE’s Board recommended dismissal in five matters. Those matters involved Representatives Norman Dicks, Marcy Kaptur, James Moran, John Murtha, and C.W. Bill Young. In the other two matters, which concerned Representatives Todd Tiahrt and Peter Visclosky, OCE’s Board recommended that the Standards Committee further review OCE’ s allegations.
In accordance with clauses 3(a)(2) and 3(b) of House Rule XI, and Standards Committee Rule 10(a)(7), the Standards Committee unanimously agreed to issue the attached Report to the House. The Report addresses the findings and conclusions of the Standards Committee with regard to the conduct of Members and their staff based upon the current information before the Committee. OCE’s reports and findings for each of the seven separate matters are contained within the Standards Committee’s Report.