Dan Riehl looks at the new timeline on the Massa complaint and Pelosi/ethics Committee response and suggests my initial suspicions were not without warrant. It looks like they held on to the complaint longer than the rules required and notified him of its potential merit only after he voted against the healthcare bill.

If I'm reading the rules right, Massa should have been informed of the complaint within 5 - 10 days. They had five days to determine if it was a valid complaint, rule 16, p24 - and five days to notify Massa - Rule 17 p 26. Of course, like everything in Nancy's House, all rules are subject to ad hoc changes. Massa has claimed he didn't know of the charges. It would be good to know what conversations took place as regards his No vote on ObamaCare and if he could have simply retired for health issues, as first announced, if he went along with a deal. This all only started breaking after he became a solid No vote.

It's also suspicious that after he gave a different online story to Glenn Beck than he apparently gave him telephonically before he was booked the case was dropped. As it involved charges of misconduct with house staffers and interns, the ethics hearings could and should have continued after his resignation.

Clarice Feldman