By Jason Leopold and Matt Renner, t r u t h o u t
The Senate Ethics Committee will likely not conduct a formal investigation into the conduct of New Mexico Republican Sen. Pete Domenici. The Ethics Committee had been investigating a telephone call the senator made to David Iglesias, the state’s former US attorney, in which Domenici inquired a few weeks before last November’s midterm election about the timing of an indictment against a popular Democratic official in the state who was the target of a corruption investigation, according to two people who work closely with the Senate Ethics Committee.
In interviews conducted last week by Truthout, these people said that Domenici’s recent announcement that he would not seek reelection next year due to a medical condition was a deciding factor in keeping the probe from becoming a full-blown public investigation.
These individuals requested anonymity because Ethics Committee rules prohibit them from commenting publicly about the status of its investigations.
“It’s unlikely the preliminary investigation of Senator Domenici will move to the next stage,” said one person who works closely with the committee. “The reason? His mental state.”