House Ethics Panel Starts Probes

WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee launched several investigations Wednesday, focusing on a Republican linked to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and on a Democrat at the center of a separate bribery probe.

The bribery investigations of Reps. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and William J. Jefferson (D-La.) will determine whether they violated House rules. The Justice Department is conducting bribery investigations of the two, who have denied wrongdoing.

By targeting a member of each party, committee leaders avoided allegations of partisanship in a year when Democrats are trying to make GOP misconduct a major campaign issue.

The committee leaders also approved an inquiry into whether other lawmakers were involved in a bribery scandal that landed former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Rancho Santa Fe) in prison with an eight-year sentence. The leaders also said they would have investigated payments for overseas travel by former Majority Leader Tom DeLay had he not decided to leave Congress next month.