Ethics committee clears Gardner
Here's the release:
HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE FINDS NO PROBABLE CAUSE FOR ETHICS VIOLATION AGAINST GARDNER
This afternoon through a unanimous and bipartisan motion, the House Ethics Committee found no probable cause of an ethics violation against Rep. Paul Gardner.
Instead, pursuant to Rule 9 of the House Committee on Ethics, Rules and Procedures, the majority of the committee recommended the issue be dealt with through "informal reconciliation," which is reserved for behaviors that are considered "inadvertent, technical, or of a de minimus nature." While not finding that an ethics violation occurred, the committee did recommend that Rep. Gardner make one additional apology to those who took offense on the House floor.
Gardner released the following statement.
"I am pleased the House Ethics committee realized I have taken responsibility for my actions in an appropriate manner and found that no ethics violation occurred. Moving forward, my hope is that this incident will help focus all members of the House of Representatives on together elevating our public debate to a higher level."
UPDATE: Session Weekly reports that Gardner has to make an apology from the House floor.
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