Update: Secrecy of House Ethics Investigations Keeps Reporters Scrambling for Truth

Yesterday we reported on the secrecy and opacity surrounding the House ethics committee. Here's an update on what has happened since:

The GOP, which initially advocated for the investigation into former Rep. Eric Massa to continue, proposed yesterday that a new investigation be launched into how House Democratic leaders handled the allegations that Massa, a New York Democrat, had inappropriate contact with aides. The decision to do so now rests with the House ethics committee.

Meanwhile new and conflicting reports about the Massa investigation have since emerged.

On Wednesday, most news organizations reported that the committee's investigation into Massa had been closed because of his resignation. Only The Washington Post, at the time, cited two unnamed sources saying that the investigation could continue. By Thursday, the Post had come around and was also reporting that the investigation was closed. Then Politico posted a report citing an unnamed aide who claimed that "the ethics committee never ended its [Massa] investigation," and "the stories saying that it had were wrong."

The confused reports only further confirm our point about the need for more transparency in the workings of the House ethics committee. Our own calls to the committee have not been returned.

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