Congressman John Campbell cleared of ethics charges

A U.S. House committee has cleared Republican Congressman John Campbell from Irvine of alleged ethics violations.

The House Committee on Ethics has been investigating whether a pair of fundraisers for Campbell influenced his votes on the 2009 financial reform bill. After a months-long investigation, the committee concluded the fundraisers neither violated "any law” nor raised the appearance of "impropriety.”

In its report, the Ethics Committee said fundraising consultants planned the events months in advance, invitees weren’t restricted to a particular industry and members typically didn’t even know the date of the fundraiser until the day before the event. The luncheon and wine tasting fundraisers were brief, with no “substantive” discussion of the financial overhaul bill at the event.

In a statement, the Irvine Republican says that since the beginning of the investigation, he has “consistently maintained that there has been no wrongdoing.” Campbell adds that he’s “pleased that the matter has been concluded.”