Today, the Colorado House Ethics Committee met to begin its inquiry into whether Rep. Steve King requested mileage reimbursement for travel expenses that were actually paid for with campaign committee funds while certifying to the House that he actually incurred his claimed mileage expenses and that those expenses had not been reimbursed by any other source. The committee has been charged to determine by February 18 whether probable cause exists to find an ethics violation. Ethics Watch looks forward to a complete investigation of the facts in this matter.

On January 13, Ethics Watch sent a letter to the Speaker of the House to convene an ethics committee under House Rule 49 to investigate Rep. King. By rule, the Speaker and the House Majority and Minority Leaders had to decide whether the complaint should proceed to an investigation. At the hearing, it was revealed that the Speaker and the Majority and Minority Leaders unanimously agreed that Ethics Watch's complaint alleged an ethics violation that should be considered by an ethics committee.

The committee scheduled a second meeting for Friday, February 12 at 1:00 pm.

The committee has received information from Rep. King and from internal House sources. Ethics Watch will post publicly available documents received by the committee when they become available.