McCaul to Serve as Top Republican on Ethics Committee Inquiry Into Arizona Congressman Rick Renzi

(Washington, DC) - The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct voted on February 28, 2008 to establish an investigative subcommittee to conduct an inquiry regarding Representative Richard G. Renzi with Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, will serving as the top Republican. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., will chair the subcommittee. Others on the panel include Rep. Steve Rothman, D-N.J., and Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore.

Federal prosecutors indicted Renzi on 35 counts of criminal wrongdoing, including conspiracy, extortion and fraud in United States of America v. Richard G. Renzi, Case Number CR 08-0212 in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, will serve as the top Republican with Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., chairing the subcommittee. Others on the panel include Rep. Steve Rothman, D-N.J., and Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore.

The investigative subcommittee shall have jurisdiction to determine whether Representative Renzi violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other standard of conduct applicable to his conduct in the performance of his duties or the discharge of his responsibilities. The scope of jurisdiction of the investigative subcommittee shall additionally include any and all matters that may be contained in any superseding indictment related to this same criminal matter

The full Ethics Committee functions much like a grand jury, determining whether there is a credible issue worth exploring. In this case, the full Ethics committee decided that was the case, and then created the investigative subcommittee to inquire about Renzi. Formal ethics inquiries that require an investigative subcommittee are rare in Congress. For instance, in recent years the Ethics Committee only has created investigative subcommittees to examine allegations against former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas; Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash.; and to handle the Mark Foley matter.

"The most important responsibility we have as elected officials is to act in an ethical manner in office. As someone who has worked in the Public Integrity division at the Justice Department, my commitment to maintaining the highest ethical standards by public officials is not new. I am confident the committee will work in a bi-partisan manner in this case to determine if the Rules of the House were violated and act swiftly to ensure any violations are dealt with in a manner which makes it clear to everyone that ethical violations will simply not be tolerated in the people's House," stated Congressman McCaul

Republican Leader John Boehner asked McCaul to serve on the committee in 2007. Before his election to Congress Congressman McCaul worked in the Justice Department’s Public Integrity section which oversees federal efforts to combat corruption through the prosecution of elected and appointed public officials at all levels of government. McCaul also served as Deputy Attorney General for Texas under now Senator John Cornyn.

Congressman McCaul represents the Tenth Congressional District of Texas which includes all or parts of Harris, Austin, Waller, Washington, Lee, Burleson, Bastrop and Travis counties