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Mollohan still being investigated by Justice Department, newspaper says

Mollohan, Alan
Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va.

By Ben Adducchio

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October 30, 2009 · The Justice Department has asked the House Ethics Committee to suspend a probe of Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., according to a confidential House report obtained by the Washington Post.

According to the newspaper, this suggests the Justice Department is still investigating Mollohan.

 

Federal investigators often ask House and Senate ethics panels to scale back on cases against members whom the department is already investigating.

 

Mollohan told the newspaper he was not aware of any ongoing interest by the Justice Department in his case.

Mollohan says neither he nor his attorneys have heard from federal investigators.

 

“The answer is no,” Mollohan told the newspaper.

 

In 2006, a conservative watchdog group named the National Legal and Policy Center released a report accusing Mollohan of failing to disclose his real estate holdings to the public.

 

He also was accused to steering federal grants and contracts to friends, associates and campaign contributors.

 

Federal investigators began reviewing the case but no public actions have been made for several years.

Melanie Sloan is the executive director for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

 

She is frustrated by how long the investigation has taken.

 

“It’s not even fair to Mr. Mollohan,” she said, “if they are going to find something on him, they should do it already, and indict him, and if not, they should clear him.”

 

“But to keep somebody under investigation by the Justice Department for years ongoing with no real resolution on site, is unseemly.”

 

National Legal and Policy Center President Peter Flaherty shares Sloan’s frustration, but he says investigations take time.

 

“It took the Justice Department several years to get a conviction in the case of William Jefferson, he’s the congressman where they found the cash in his freezer,” he said.

 

“If Mollohan is convicted of a crime, he certainly should be removed from office.”

 

In a statement to West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Mollohan said he has not been contacted by federal investigators and does not know whether the investigation is ongoing.

 

The House report was prepared in July and leaked online by a low-level staffer, according to the committee.

 

The confidential report also reveals more than 30 members of Congress and aides are currently being investigated by ethics investigators.

 

Melanie Sloan says these inquires into members of Congress usually stem from the role of money in politics.

 

“Until we break the link between campaign contributions and legislative acts, we’re only going to see more and more of the same,” she said.

 

“The fact remains that the people who are most likely to give members of Congress money, are the people who want something from them.”

 

 

 

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