WASHINGTON, March 31 (UPI) -- An attempt by U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., to keep Interior Secretary Ken Salazar from getting a raise was legal but "inappropriate," an ethics panel says.
The Senate Ethics Committee ruled Friday that Vitter did not break the law or violate Senate rules in 2011 when he tried to use the pay increase to get more deep-water drilling permits for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, Roll Call reported. Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington filed the complaint.