Seattle Times columnist Kate Riley asks a question today that CREW often asks: 

Where is the House of Representatives ethics probe of the suspiciously over-the-line attempts by House members to influence U.S. attorneys in politically charged cases?

She also has the right answer:

Don't hold your breath. 

Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) and Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA) should be facing investigations by the House Ethics Committee, but they're not.  And Ms. Riley knows why: 

So here we are, two months after the prosecutors, under subpoena, revealed to Congress these inappropriate phone calls. The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington formally asked both the Senate and House ethics committees to probe all three incidents. The Senate acted almost immediately on CREW's complaint.

Different rules, written and unwritten, apply in the House. The ethics committee — formally the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct — does not act on outside complaints like CREW's. It acts on member complaints or outside complaints forwarded by members.

Interestingly, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., called for a House ethics investigation soon after the revelation. Nice sound bite, but he apparently has not filed a complaint of his own. Now, that would be real leadership.

The House ethics committee also can initiate its own investigation. That's not likely either, considering Hastings continues as ranking Republican on the committee split evenly with five Democrats and five Republicans.

Even though the Democrats have taken over control of the House, the ethics committee, notoriously indolent under Republican control, including Hastings' chairmanship, appears hopelessly stuck.