The House Ethics Committee in Washington is extending its investigation into actions by 1st District Congressman Ed Whitfield of Kentucky. A federal ethics probe released Monday found there is "substantial reason to believe" that Whitfield and his staff had improper lobbying contacts with his wife. Whitfield's wife is a lobbyist for the national Humane Society and has pushed legislation before Congress.
The federal Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent body, has provided its findings to the House Committee on Ethics, which is continuing to investigate and will make the final decision on whether to discipline Whitfield.
Craig Holman is a government affairs lobbyist for the non-partisan, non-profit organization Public Citizen.
He believes the panel will take the findings seriously.
“I consider this a very substantial, fact-finding report that the ethics committee cannot ignore,” said Holman.
Whitfield, a Republican from Hopkinsville, has previously denied the claims. He did not respond to requests for comment this week.
