Ethics inquiry urged for U.S. Rep. Tom Price

In a prepared statement, Price called the recommendation baffling.

"How the O.C.E. arrived at their recommendation is truly a mystery," he said. "There being no evidence of any wrongdoing or any inconsistency in my policy position, one can only guess as to the motive behind their decision or even why they chose to initiate a review in the first place."

The ethics office recommended dropping related investigations of five other lawmakers, including two Democrats and three Republicans.

The law creating the ethics office, a non partisan investigative branch of Congress, requires that it notify potential targets of the reasons behind its recommendations.

A spokesman for the office declined to comment.

Other lawmakers referred to the ethics committee were U.S. Rep. John Campbell, a California Republican and Rep. Joseph Crowley, Democrat of New York.

It's up to the ethics committee to act on the recommendations.

The investigation of Price appears to center on a Dec. 10 luncheon held at the Washington insider restaurant Capital Hill Club the day before he voted against the financial reform bill.

Price sought up to $2,500 in campaign donations that day from political action committees and lobbyists representing banks and other financial companies, records show.

Tens of thousands of dollars in other campaign contributions also flowed to Price that month from those with a stake in the legislation.

In December, Price, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, raised about $29,000 from financial PACs and interests groups, according to the Public Campaign Action Fund, a nonpartisan group that is critical of PACs.

"Rep. Price took thousands of dollars of special interest cash and voted their way, leaving voters wondering who he really represents in Washington, D.C.," said David Donnelly, national campaigns director for the group.

Federal Election Commission records show that in the weeks before the vote, Price received donations from the American Financial Services PAC, the National Association of Credit Unions PAC and PACs affiliated with the banks and accounting firms such as Bank of America, Credit Suisse First Boston, Deloitte & Touche and KPMG.

Price has denied any wrongdoing since the ethics office first began looking into the fund-raising earlier this summer.

He said his Dec. 11 vote against the Democratic-led financial reform plan was consistent with his voting record and that his position never changed.

"As a member of Congress, I have always complied with the letter and the spirit of the law," he said in  Tuesday's statement. " To suggest otherwise is unfounded and untrue."

He said his "voting record and opposition to a culture of taxpayer-funded bailouts has been and always will be unshakable."

President Barack Obama signed the financial overhaul bill into law July 21.

It aims to restrain Wall Street excesses with the most sweeping overhaul of financial rules since the Great Depression, clamping down on lending practices and expanding consumer protections to address failures that precipitated the 2008 economic meltdown.

Price said he looked forward to the Committee on Standards dismissing the action.

AJC staff writer Bob Keefe and the Associated Press contributed to this article.