The House Ethics Committee voted unanimously Thursday to set up investigative panels to look into indicted Reps. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., and Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., after their criminal cases are resolved.
According to Politico, the move is unusual so late in an election year — and the Ethics Committee publicly announced it is doing so.
Hunter and his wife were indicted by a federal grand jury Aug. 21 for allegedly improperly spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds on personal expenses, including family vacations and dental work.
Collins was charged Aug. 8 with fraud in connection to an alleged insider-trading scheme linked to his investments in an Australian biotech firm.
Both Hunter and Collins – the first two Republicans in Congress to endorse President Donald Trump – have denied the charges.
Hunter is seeking re-election in November — and maintains an 8-point lead over his Democratic opponent, Ammar Campa-Naijar according to a poll conducted for The San Diego Union-Tribune. Collins announced he will not seek re-election.
The Ethics Committee said it will defer its consideration to the Department of Justice at the agency's request while court proceedings continue, Politico noted.
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