Despite an investigative report stating there is “a substantial reason to believe” that Representative Alan Grayson violated federal law and broke ethics rules, the House Ethics Committee has declared the matter requires “further review.” Rep. Grayson remains under scrutiny by the U.S. House Ethics Committee, but it is not likely any decision would be issued before the upcoming Senate primary, meaning the matter is buried for now.
The Office of Congressional Ethics issued their report Tuesday, suggesting Grayson may have improperly used his House office and staff for his hedge fund and political activities for his Senate bid. The report also stated Grayson may have committed at least six possible violations of House rules. Tuesday was the deadline to release the once-confidential report against Grayson.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Grayson said on a conference call with reporters. He described the report as “politically motivated,” “a witch-hunt,” and “utterly frivolous.”
The investigation primarily examined whether Grayson used his position as a member of Congress in relation to his private hedge fund, which could violate House rules.
Grayson is currently running for U.S. Senate, seeking the Democratic nomination in a contested primary against Rep. Patrick Murphy and Pam Keith.
While the House Ethics Committee announced that it is extending an investigation into the allegations against Grayson, it did not launch an investigative subcommittee and there is no deadline.
Click here for Office of Congressional Ethics’ report against Rep. Alan Grayson.