National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Communications Director Brian Walsh issued the following statement today regarding the joint decision by the Republican and Democrat leaders of the House Ethics Committee to extend its investigation into Nevada Congresswoman Shelley Berkley
“The news that the House Ethics Committee is extending their investigation of embattled Congresswoman Shelley Berkley is not surprising given what appears to be a pattern of ethical questions that have surrounded her activities over the years. The people of Nevada deserve someone in the United States Senate who they can trust to work on their behalf and not someone – like Shelley Berkley – who puts her own financial and political interests first.”
BACKGROUND:
- On September 5, 2011, a front-page story in the New York Times uncovered a pattern of instances in which Congresswoman Berkley used her official office for apparent personal financial gain.
- On September 21, 2011, the Nevada Republican Party filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics outlining the allegations uncovered in the Times’ investigation. To view a copy of the complaint, click here.
- The Las Vegas Review-Journal, among many other outlets, reported that same day that a State Democratic Party spokesman, responding on Berkley’s behalf, charged the GOP complaint “reeks of politics” and was draped in hypocrisy. In turn, the Democratic Party unveiled a video attack on her opponent, Republican U.S. Senator Dean Heller.
- But according to a letter released today by the House Ethics Committee, the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) reviewed the complaint and forwarded it to the full Committee for investigation on February 9, 2012. Had this complaint been “frivolous” as Berkley and her allies have long claimed, it would have been simply dismissed instead of forwarded to the full Committee.
- And today, the House Ethics Committee announced it is extending its investigation into the Congresswoman’s activities, and charges that she has used her office to enrich herself personally, as well as her campaign war chest.
