The House Ethics Committee says it has formed an investigative panel to determine whether Republican Rep. David Schweikert of Arizona and his chief of staff violated campaign finance laws and various office spending rules.
Schweikert is serving his fourth term representing Scottsdale.
The panel says it's reviewing whether Schweikert or his top aide, Richard Oliver Schwab, used office funds for impermissible purposes. It's also looking at whether Schweikert's congressional campaign received improper contributions from Schwab and other office staff.
The panel is also looking at whether Schwab received more outside income than allowed for congressional staff.
The review stems from a referral from the independent Office of Congressional Ethics.
Schweikert told Fox News, "this was a clerical screw-up" and "we should have caught it."
