House Ethics panel closes investigation of Watkins after LaTurner takes office
The U.S. House Ethics Committee quietly ended its investigation into former Kansas Republican Rep. Steve Watkins after his successor was sworn in last month.
The ethics investigation of the one-term congressman centered on the allegations that he had voted illegally in the 2019 Topeka municipal election by using a UPS store as his registration address.
The House panel opened its investigation of Watkins after he was charged with multiple felonies in Shawnee County. But the committee’s 2020 year-end report announced its closure without any determinations about whether Watkins had committed misconduct.
The report states the committee does “not have jurisdiction to continue the investigation after January 3, 2021,” the date that Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner, Watkins’ successor, took the oath of office.
Watkins was already a lame duck when the committee began its investigation nearly two weeks after the Topeka Republican lost his August primary contest against LaTurner.
The slow pace of ethics investigations ensured that Watkins would leave office before the House had to make any findings of wrongdoing.
Watkins stepped down from his committee assignments in face of the felony charges, which barred him from most legislative business during his final six months in office.
His successor, LaTurner, has been assigned to the House Homeland Security Committee, the panel with oversight of election security.
Watkins still faces a criminal case in Shawnee County, where he’s charged with multiple felonies for interference with law enforcement, voting without being qualified and unlawful advance voting.
The criminal case has moved slowly.
After Watkins was charged in July 2020, a preliminary hearing was originally set for Thursday in the Shawnee County District Court. But last month it was rescheduled for April 15. Watkins’ legal team declined to comment on the status of the case.
The Star’s Jonathan Shorman contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 11:10 AM.
