Posted by
Defend America on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 8:34:13 PM
Massa probe ends; Pelosi knew of concerns last year
By
JONATHAN ALLEN &
JOHN BRESNAHAN |
3/10/10 8:13 PM EST
The House ethics committee closed its investigation into sexual
harassment allegations against former Rep. Eric Massa on Wednesday
afternoon — even as an aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi acknowledged
for the first time that her office learned of concerns about Massa far
earlier than previously known.
Sources familiar with the situation told POLITICO that the bipartisan
committee decided to close its investigation into the case because
Massa’s resignation — effective at 5 p.m. Monday — deprived the
committee of jurisdiction over him.
But House Republicans cried foul, with one senior GOP aide saying that
the new information about Pelosi’s office “further underscores” the
need to find out what actually happened.
There is no indication that anyone in Pelosi’s office knew of
allegations that Massa, a Democrat from New York, had improper physical
contact with aides until February, when Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s
office was informed of the accusations and shared them with a senior
Pelosi staffer.
But a Pelosi aide told POLITICO on Wednesday evening that Massa’s chief
of staff, Joe Racalto, informed a member of Pelosi’s “member services”
operation in October that Massa was living with several aides, had
hired too many staff members and used foul language around his staff.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34237.html