Leaked House Ethics Documents and Rep. Mollohan

by: Clem Guttata

Sun Nov 01, 2009 at 05:46:56 AM EST

We recently discussed the lingering ethics questions regarding Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV).

This week brings a small revelation. Via TPMMuckraker, here's a summary of the story the Washington Post broke this week.

But nearly all of the new stories show that the members in question were cleared of wrongdoing, and it's worth asking how much new information has really come to light.

There are a few new details on the probes of Reps. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) and Alan Mollohan (D-WV).

And:

It also contains some potentially bad news for Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV). The Post reports:

The Justice Department has told the ethics panel to suspend a probe of Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-W.Va.), whose personal finances federal investigators began reviewing in early 2006 after complaints from a conservative group that he was not fully revealing his real estate holdings. There has been no public action on that inquiry for several years. But the department's request in early July to the committee suggests that the case continues to draw the attention of federal investigators, who often ask that the House and Senate ethics panels refrain from taking action against members whom the department is already investigating.

The Post article concludes its section on Mollohan:

Mollohan said that he was not aware of any ongoing interest by the Justice Department in his case and that he and his attorneys have not heard from federal investigators. "The answer is no," he said.

As I said in early October:

I've read CREW's report on Rep. Mollohan each year they've included him on their list and I certainly don't like the sound of their allegations. But, I can never get a sense if there's any "there" there. And, as the years pass the only new damning information we learn is about how politicized the Bush Dept. of Justice was--nothing new has come out about Rep. Mollohan.

West Virginia voters deserve a prompt resolution to the investigation on Rep. Mollohan. If there was any wrong-doing, prompt action is warranted. If there was not, Rep. Mollohan deserves to have the cloud over his head lifted.