U.S. Rep. Tom Petri released a letter on Sunday asking the House Ethics Committee to “formally review” his financial ties to Oshkosh Corp., the military truck maker he’s long promoted in Congress. Gannett Wisconsin Media reported last week that an independent group, Public Citizen, was raising questions over Petri’s ownership of hundreds of thousands of dollars in Oshkosh Corp. stock at the time he was lobbying for the company to either retain a lucrative contract or dodge spending cuts.
The letter says Petri is “distressed by the innuendo in the articles” and reasserts that he, from time to time, contacted the Ethics Committee “for guidance on these issues.” According to Gannett, investigations into breaches of Congressional ethics (which prohibit members from using their positions for personal gain) begin with the Office of Congressional Ethics, which would have notified Petri, if an investigation was already underway. Typically, investigations only become public once they move on to the House Ethics Committee, which can vote to censure or even expel representatives, but either would be “extremely rare,” Gannett says.
h/t WisPolitics
