Last August the Ethics Committee of the 112th Congress began reviewing a trip to Taiwan that New York Congressman Bill Owens took in 2010. Last week, the committee announced that it is continuing that review.
The Ethics Committee is investigating whether Congressman Owens’ travel expenses were originally paid by improper sources. In announcing its extension of the review of the Taiwan trip, the release from the Chair and Ranking Member of the Ethics Committee states that it “...does not...indicate that any violation has occurred....” Their release says the extension is to gather additional information. Democrat Bill Owens did pay for the trip after questions of impropriety were raised. He maintains that he did everything according to the rules.
SUNY Plattsburgh Professor of Political Science Tom Conda says the Ethics Committee used standard language, so it’s difficult to determine how serious their investigation is.
Clinton County Republican Party Chair Don Lee believes the extension may indicate there is more underlying this case.
If the Ethics Committee had not extended their review at this time, the case would have been dropped. The Committee will not make any comments pending completion of its review.
