Melanie Sloan released the following statement today following the House Ethics Committee's announcement that it would begin an investigation into the activities of Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ) who was indicted last week:

The House Ethics Committee has demonstrated its irrelevance once again by announcing an investigation of a member of Congress – Rick Renzi (R-AZ) already indicted by the Department of Justice. The trick would be for the Ethics Committee to spearhead an investigation of a member alleged to have engaged in misconduct before the Justice Department gets involved. Mr. Renzi undoubtedly will have retired – perhaps to a federal penitentiary – before the Ethics Committee ever takes any action against him. The current stalemate on ethics reform simply highlights that despite all the rhetoric, members still are not serious about taking on their unethical colleagues.