Texas Representative Says Ethics Inquiry Underway

Republican Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas says the House Ethics Committee is investigating a complaint about a campaign finance reporting error made by a former campaign worker.

The error was committed more than a year ago by an accountant who was a campaign volunteer, said Stockman, who lost a GOP primary for U.S. Senate last month.

In a statement Friday, Stockman said the mistake was corrected soon after he became aware of it. The volunteer responsible for the mistake was removed from his position, and the campaign committee has been closed, Stockman said.

Stockman said he is cooperating with the ethics panel and that the Federal Election Commission did not impose a fine on him or his campaign committee. He said he is confident the ethics panel "will ultimately dismiss the matter after it completes a careful review."

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, trounced Stockman in a primary last month to claim the Republican nomination for Senate. Stockman, who also served one term in the House in the 1990s, is not seeking re-election.

Stockman began his Senate campaign in debt, made almost no public appearances in Texas and ignored the media. He dropped out of sight for nearly three weeks in January, missing almost 20 House votes -- though it turned out he was part of an official overseas delegation for much of that time.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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