Robert Walker Comments on Standstill in Paul Broun Investigation

Robert L. Walker, of counsel in Wiley Rein’s Election Law & Government Ethics Practice, was quoted in an article published last week in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the House Ethics Committee investigation of former Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) and his alleged misuse of taxpayer funds. 

According to the article, a federal corruption indictment issued last month against David Bowser, Rep. Broun’s former chief of staff, calls into question Rep. Broun’s claims that a political consultant was hired solely to advise him as a member of Congress, and that he did not have a paid position with either of his congressional campaigns. In the April indictment, Bowser was charged with obstructing a House ethics investigation into the hiring of the consultant, making false statements, and stealing government property. 

Mr. Walker, a former federal prosecutor and ex-top staffer for the House and Senate ethics committees, said the fact that the federal indictment was not accompanied by a plea agreement from Bowser “indicates that the government has kind of hit a wall here on their investigation.” 

“If they had enough to charge a conspiracy and participation by the congressman at this point, without the cooperation of David Bowser, they would have done so,” Mr. Walker said, adding that he does not have a position on the case. “At least short of that there would have been some indication in this indictment that the government thought it had enough evidence to charge a conspiracy that would include others.”