Greg Nash
Posted on 02/22/2016 1:14:01 PM PST by jazusamo
Greg Nash
The House Ethics Committee publicly acknowledged Monday it is conducting a review into Florida Senate candidate Rep. Alan Grayson.
In a statement, the panel said it will issue a decision on whether to open a formal investigation into Grayson's activities by April 5.
If the committee decides not to proceed with an investigation, it must release the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) report on the case.
Grayson's management of a hedge fund while serving as a member of Congress has been looming over the Aug. 30 Senate Democratic primary.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) earlier this month called on Grayson to drop out of the Florida Senate primary. The pressure came a day after a New York Times report showing emails from top aides urging Grayson to close his hedge fund to avoid media scrutiny going into his Senate campaign.
House ethics rules prohibit members from earning outside income beyond $27,495.
Monday's statement from the House Ethics Committee indicates that the OCE, an independent watchdog, has recommended a full investigation. The Ethics panel has a maximum of 90 days to decide to follow through with a probe or release the report once OCE makes the recommendation. The Ethics Committee statement did not explicitly mention the allegations surrounding the hedge fund, but media accounts have reported that the panel has been reviewing the matter.
Establishment Democrats have been rallying around Grayson's opponent, Rep. Patrick Murphy, in the primary for the seat vacated by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who is running for president. Many Democrats believe Murphy would be more competitive in a general election and see Grayson as too much of a firebrand.
Murphy's campaign quickly seized upon the Ethics Committee's acknowledgment Monday.
"Alan Grayson has demonstrated a pattern of unethical and reckless behavior, using his elected office to promote his offshore hedge fund. Mr. Grayson needs to come clean with congressional investigators -- and owes his constituents an apology for failing to put them first," Murphy said in a statement.
Grayson, through a spokesman, expressed confidence that the committee's review would show no wrongdoing.
"Neither the OCE's recommendation, nor this delay, is any indication of the Congressman's culpability in this matter. The Congressman is confident that, should an investigation occur, he will be shown to have acted ethically and within the letter and spirit of all House ethics rules," spokesman Ken Scudder said.
The hedge fund was created in 2011 after Grayson lost reelection to the House. He later won election back to the lower chamber in 2012.
I can tell them what they’ll find.
Grayson HAS no ethics
total scum sucking rat
Agreed, he’s right up on top of the list of people with no ethics.
An ethically-challenged democrat. How droll.
>>Grayson’s management of a hedge fund<<
Who manages hedge funds???? Anyone??? Hint: not between 99 and 2%.
Typical liberal hypocrite.
Demonstrably insane.
Meet the Attorney General for the Hillary regime.
The man is a raving nutter.
Hillary plans on doing all those Cabinet jobs herself.
She is, after all, the mostest smartest woman in da world
Ah, corruption. I know that's why you guys go into politics in the first place, but when you get caught red handed sometimes... somebody's gotta play the game and do some time. Just to make everything look like it's on the up-and-up, you know.
Unless you're a black Democrat. Then you get an automatic pass.
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