8:00am | Joseph E. Sandler, the counsel representing Rep. Laura Richardson, released the following statement regarding the Politico article mentioned yesterday:

“The allegations presented in the recent article, made once again by anonymous sources, are groundless. To date, the House Ethics Committee has no issued any recommendations, conclusions[,] or findings of any kind; therefore it would be inappropriate to engage in a debate with these sources, through the press, about the accuracy of the many unsupported assertions set out in this article. The Congresswoman is committed as she has been to complying fully with the law and the rules of the House. The Congresswoman looks forward to the Committee reviewing all the facts and bringing the matter to a positive conclusion.”

February 14, 8:30am | According to Politico, sources close to the ethics investigation currently underway against Rep. Laura Richardson have now expanded their investigation into the possibility of her directing aides to work on political redistricting using official resources rather than having them do it on a voluntary basis. Richardson’s congressional aides collected information about communities outside her district, organized a workshop to train constituents in advance of a public meeting of California’s independent redistricting commission, and wrote talking points for those constituents to deliver during the public-comments portion of the meeting at Long Beach City Hall in April 2011.

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