The Office of Congressional Ethics told the Ethics Committee that the conduct of three members of the House in the time leading up to the vote on the Financial Regulatory Reform warrants further investigation. But OCE also dismissed similar investigations against five other members. So what’s the difference between a legal campaign contribution and a “legislation-for-contribution” scheme that violates the honest services law — and does the OCE really believe that the three members they referred to the Committee violated it?The difference — says David Mason, former commissioner and chairman of the Federal Election Commission — can be hard to figure out. That has left lobbyists and legislators involved in the recent inquiry surprised at being investigated for campaign contributions they thought were perfectly legal under campaign finance laws.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=121826