The Senate Ethics Committee declined today to
investigate Louisiana Senator David Vitter, who was linked to an
escort service whose owner was convicted in federal court and
subsequently committed suicide.
The committee says it declined to pursue the case because
Vitter’s conduct preceded his Senate service, did not result in
charges against him and did not involve use of his public office or
status for improper purposes.
In a letter to Vitter, the committee also took note of the first
term senator’s July 2007 statement when he said, “This was a very
serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely
responsible.”
Vitter has acknowledged that his Washington phone number was
among those called several years ago by the escort service run by
Deborah Jeane Palfrey. Palfrey committed suicide earlier this
month, saying in notes that she couldn’t bear going to prison.
The senator was spared further embarrassment when he was not
called as a witness in Palfrey’s trial. She was convicted of money
laundering, using the mail for illegal purposes and racketeering.
The committee of three Democrats and three Republicans said it
made no factual findings on Vitter’s conduct. The senators added
that their dismissal “should not be taken as personal ...
acceptance” of Vitter’s actions. And the committee said it
reserved the right to reopen an investigation if new allegations
surface.
The complaint seeking an investigation was filed by a
congressional watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and
Ethics in Washington. The organization’s deputy director, Naomi
Seligman, said, “The Senate ethics committee has once again done
what is does best: nothing.”