Tickle Fight: Boehner Introduces Resolution Directing Ethics Committee to Investigate What Nancy Pelosi Knew and When
Resolution Passes With 402 Votes

He just introduced it. This article is from yesterday, looking ahead to it.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) will introduce a bill Thursday calling for the House ethics committee to restart its probe of ex-Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.), as Republicans seek to focus attention on what Democratic leaders knew about Massa's behavior and when they knew it.

The resolution -- which should be voted on immediately -- directs the ethics committee "to fully investigate what House Democratic leaders and members of their respective staffs knew prior to March 3, 2010 regarding the allegations concerning former Rep. Eric Massa, and what actions each leader and staffer took after learning of the allegations. The resolution directs the committee to report its findings and recommendations no later than June 30, 2010."

The House ethics committee decided Wednesday to close its probe of Massa, according to sources familiar with the probe, as Massa has resigned and is now beyond the jurisdiction of the committee. But Republicans say that the ethics panel's job is not done.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) was told in October by Joe Racalto, Massa's chief of staff, that the New York lawmaker lived with several young male aides, that he used sexually explicit language with them and that Massa made a potentially inappropriate lunch date with a young aide to Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.). It is unclear whether any of the information Racalto provided to Pelosi's staffer suggested that Massa broke House rules or warranted an ethics investigation.

A "privileged resolution" gets voted on immediately -- they're voting on it now soon -- but it's expected Democrats will hold firm and vote against it.

Passed! Okay, so Democrats are really worried and didn't want that no vote on their record.

Of course that means there will be an investigation.

Their hope, I guess, is to make it a very thorough report. Very, very thorough. Like "won't be complete until December" thorough.

402-1. A Pennsylvania Dem cast the sole Nay.

Whoops! I got that last vote tally from Fox, which was wrong. (Or people changed their votes.) It's 404-2, and two Republicans -- Rohrbacher and Johnson (of Illinois) -- voted against it.

Not sure why they'd do that. Could be something like: they voted against such a probe in the Foley matter, and feel the need to remain consistent.

Just a guess. I'm having trouble imagining why you'd vote against this.

Corrected Again! Actually, Fox had it right, and I had it right, the first time -- it was 402-1, with the 1 no coming from a Democrat named Fattah, from Pennsylvania.

Thanks to Michelle Malkin.

posted by Ace at 01:13 PM

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