The Hill reports today that Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) will stay on as ranking member of the House ethics committee, but has made clear to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi that she wants the position to be temporary.
Lofgren reportedly told Pelosi in no uncertain terms that she wants wants to be out by February. In the meantime, leadership must find someone else to be the panel’s top Democrat.
Pelosi’s office confirms that Lofgren’s position on the committee is temporary.
The committee has been in turmoil over the past several months. It all but dropped a case against Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), saying it had discovered new information just days before her hearing was to begin. The same day, two lawyers at the committee, including the lead investigator on the Waters case, were suspended, and the committee’s chief counsel, Blake Chisam, left last month.
There was also a spat when then-ranking member Rep. Jo Bonner (R-AL) put out a press release — going outside committee rules that say statements must be made by both the ranking member and the chair — demanding that the hearings for Waters and Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) be held before the midterm elections.
A spokesman for Lofgren did not immediately return a request for comment.
