WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A member of the Florida delegation to the U.S. House is being investigated for possible financial irregularities, congressional officials confirmed.
Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said Cantor's office was awaiting results of an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement before taking action in the case of Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla., who was elected to Congress in November after serving eight years as a state lawmaker, Politico reported Tuesday.
The Florida investigation, under way since last fall, is intended to determine whether Rivera failed to disclose loans from a marketing firm controlled by his mother, Daisy Magarino, and his godmother, Ileana Medina, Politico said. Rivera, 45, has repaid the loans with interest but investigations continue into his finances, and the Federal Election Commission is investigating his campaign finances, the report said.
"[Cantor] has said that, unlike [former House Speaker, now Minority Leader Nancy] Pelosi and the previous majority, Republicans will have a zero-tolerance policy [on ethics violations], and we are awaiting the results of the current investigation in Florida," Dayspring told Politico.
Cantor's office noted no charges have been brought against Rivera.
House Ethics Committee rules bar the panel from undertaking investigations in cases that already involve law enforcement agencies. Some Republicans, whose names were not reported, expressed anger at Rivera and said he had been "less than candid" in discussing ethics concerns with party leaders.
