12-12-14 ethics committee closes case against petri

Fond du Lac congressman Tom Petri  says the House Ethics committee decision to close a case against him confirms what he has said all along…that he regularly consulted with the committee to ensure everything was done in accordance with House rules.  Earlier this year Petri took the unusual step of requesting an ethics investigation into his own stock portfolio.  The Fond du Lac Republican responded  to a media report drawing a link between companies that have business before Congress and the amount of stock he owns in those companies.  Petri said his actions are based solely on public information and are no different than those of any other stockholder.   Petri bought hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stock in Oshkosh Corp. before helping the company retain a hefty military contract and escape Pentagon cuts.   Petri says the Ethics committee found that he repeatedly sought advice from committee staff on the official actions in question and appears to have substantially complied with that advice.