Pelosi faces ethics probe over potential Massa coverup

Kinda hard to clean up the swamp when your knee deep in muck yourself.

House Republicans are pushing hard for an investigation into Speaker Nancy Pelosi's handling of accusations that ex-Rep. Eric Massa sexually harassed a male staffer, putting Democrats in a politically dangerous position.

The House voted 402-1 to refer to the ethics committee a demand put forward by GOP leaders that the panel ask Democratic leaders about how they responded to sexual harassment allegations against Massa.

The move came a day after the ethics panel quietly dropped its probe into Massa, a freshmen New York Democrat. Massa resigned Monday amid allegations he groped male staffers in his office. In interviews Massa said aides had misinterpreted tickling and other horseplay. The ethics panel closed the case because it has no jurisdiction over former members, but the GOP wants the 10-member, bipartisan committee to start a new investigation into the Democratic leadership's handling of the matter.