WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Ethics Committee will not appoint a special panel to investigate allegations that Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the fourth-highest ranking House Republican, improperly combined campaign and official funds in a GOP leadership race and her re-election campaign.
The committee’s top two leaders said Monday they will not formally drop the case against McMorris Rodgers, but will continue to review the matter under their own authority. In practical terms, the decision means it is unlikely that McMorris Rodgers will face charges or sanctions.
McMorris Rodgers, of Washington state, is the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress. She delivered the GOP response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.
Separately, the ethics panel said it also will not appoint a special panel to investigate Republican Rep. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma.
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