# So why did the House Ethics Commitee finally get a backbone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2017, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-did-the-house-ethics-commitee-finally-get-a-backbone/783936 "2017-04-06T23:31:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-did-the-house-ethics-commitee-finally-get-a-backbone/783936/1 "2017-04-06T23:31:20Z")
I was pleasantly surprised to read that the HEC will be investigating 4th stooge Devin Nunes. Perhaps I’m just too cynical, but how would this have come about over an issue that has been ridiculously partisan ( is that redundant?) to date. Does a committee member make a motion ( don’t know the parlance) to investigate which is then voted on by the commitee? I see the panel is 50/50 so a Republican must have defected yes? ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-did-the-house-ethics-commitee-finally-get-a-backbone/783936/2 "2017-04-07T00:37:18Z")
From the CNN article with a lot of information relevant to your questions: > [@](#): > > The ethics committee has multiple ways it can open an investigation into a member of Congress – either through a complaint, a resolution of the House, referral from the Office of Congressional Ethics or a decision by the committee members to investigate one of their colleagues. > Based on the laws cited in the Ethics Committee’s public statement, the members of the committee decided on their own to investigate Nunes, citing the panel’s investigatory authority over “certain unauthorized disclosures of intelligence.” > Nunes blames “several left-wing activist groups” for filing “entirely false and politically motivated” accusations against him, but it’s unclear to whom he’s referring. > “The Committee is aware of public allegations that Representative Devin Nunes may have made unauthorized disclosures of classified information, in violation of House Rules, law, regulations, or other standards of conduct,” said House Ethics Chairwoman Susan Brooks, an Indiana Republican. If you look further there is mention of a complaint to the Office of Congressional Ethics which would report their findings back to the Ethics committee anyway. Getting out ahead of that might have swayed a vote or two. As an investigation it’s targeted differently than some of the hype around it I have seen assumes. It’s about leaking classified information in his recent statements related to the whole drama. That scope might have been easier to motivate Republican members of the Ethics Committee to support. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-did-the-house-ethics-commitee-finally-get-a-backbone/783936/3 "2017-04-07T12:50:02Z")
All too often, it’s only a veneer of an “investigation” designed to produce a whitewashing report. (Unless you’re investigating the other side, then the purpose is to create the impression of scandal where none exists. Cr. Benghazi.) I don’t think there’s anything to hope for here. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-did-the-house-ethics-commitee-finally-get-a-backbone/783936/4 "2017-04-08T08:11:15Z")
The GOP-controlled HEC realized too much press was devoted to Nunes destroying their facade of a legitimate bipartisan investigation. Since Nunes has stepped aside, they now have a new GOP chair to take over and continue their facade. IMHO, our chance to determine what actually happened with the election rests with the Senate Committee and the FBI. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-did-the-house-ethics-commitee-finally-get-a-backbone/783936/5 "2017-04-08T12:54:59Z")
That’s it. But they waited too long. Things already got too far for the whitewash not to look like one. Look for Cummings to keep asking “What did the President know and when did he know it?” ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-did-the-house-ethics-commitee-finally-get-a-backbone/783936/6 "2017-04-08T18:30:09Z")
_sigh_. And here I thought maybe someone was being noble.