Democratic Freshmen Told PMA Resolution Could Incite Ethics Witch Hunt

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday brought her quiet push to contain the fallout from the unfolding PMA Group scandal to a critical front: her own freshmen.

Pelosi tapped Rep. Howard Berman (Calif.), formerly the top Democrat on the House ethics committee, to brief the new House Democrats on the ethics process and the flaws in attempts by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) to force an internal probe on the matter through privileged resolutions.

In his presentation — lasting no longer than 10 minutes, according to individuals in the room — Berman cautioned that an open-ended look into the nexus between campaign contributions and earmarks could become a witch hunt. And he argued that if Flake was serious about forcing an inquiry, he could simply file an ethics complaint.

Read more: (Tory Newmyer, “Democratic Freshmen Told PMA Resolution Could Incite Ethics Witch Hunt,” Roll Call, 4/29/09)