The House Ethics Committee has 45 days to decide if they want to conduct full investigations into four members of Congress including the polarizing Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., according to Politico.
In addition to Bachmann the Ethics Committee is considering investigations into Rep. Jon Tierney, D-Mass., Rep. Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., and Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill.. None of the four investigations are connected, according to CNN.
The Ethics Committee is looking into whether her short-lived presidential campaign may have improperly transferred funds. William McGinley, Bachmann's attorney, issued a statement denying any wrongdoing by the Minnesota Tea Party hero.
"Today's statement by the House Ethics Committee emphasizes that its customary 45-day extension does not indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the committee," McGinley said. "It does not speak to the merits of the matter, and any inference to the contrary is false. We are confident the Committee will discover, upon proper review, that the highly politicized allegations made at the OCE (Office of Congressional Ethics) level were baseless and without merit."
The investigation into Roskam is centered on whether or not he and his wife received an "impermissible gift" during a trip to Taiwan in 2011. Prior to leaving the Ethics Committee approved Roskam's trip under the belief that it was being sponsored by the Chinese Culture University. The committee thinks that the trip may have been paid for by the Taiwanese government instead and that is what they are hoping to find out in the investigation, according to Politico.
"The record reflects that Rep. Roskam fully complied with all laws, rules and procedures related to privately sponsored travel," Stephnie Kittredge, Roskam's communications director, said in a statement. "The OCE is wrong to take issue with the involvement of the Government of Taiwan in planning and conducting the trip, a matter that is routine, allowed under the law, and was known to the House Ethics Committee as they thoroughly vetted and approved the trip."
While the OCE did not specify what they were investigating Bishop for it is assumed to be connected to an incident involving fireworks. A family had wanted to have a fireworks display as part of their son's Bar Mitzvah and needed to get a permit in order to do so legally. Bishop helped them do so and at the same time received a campaign contribution of $5,000 from the family, according to CNN.
"As I have said many times, I welcome a fair-minded review of the facts because I have done nothing wrong," Bishop said in a statement.
Tierney is under the microscope for possibly violating rules involving public disclosure of gifts he received from his brother-in-law. During his last campaign Tierney was scrutinized by his opponent over the gifts that Tierney says were to show gratitude to his wife for taking care of his sister-in-law when she was sick, according to CNN.
"While political opponents have spent millions of dollars to twist the facts and distort the truth for their own gain, I appreciate that the Ethics Committee has not prejudged the matter," Tierney said in a statement. "I hope the Committee will expedite its review and I am confident it will find the allegations meritless as they have no foundation in law or fact."
The Ethics Committee has announced that it will decide whether to conduct full scale investigations into each of the congressman by Sept. 11, 2013. Bachmann has announced that she will retire after she finishes the current term so it is unclear if any investigation will be finished while she is still a member of Congress, according to Bloomberg.
