Ethics office says ex-Rep. Nathan Deal may have violated House rules

Deal resigned from the House on the night of March 21, just hours after casting his vote against President Obama's health-reform plan. Deal said he was quitting to focus on his campaign for Georgia governor, after having been persuaded by GOP leaders to stay in the House long enough to oppose the health measure.

In late January, the OCE -- a bipartisan, quasi-independent office charged with vetting allegations against members of Congress and deciding whether they merit review by the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct -- voted to refer allegations against Deal to the ethics committee for possible further action. Because Deal is no longer in Congress, he is now beyond the disciplinary jurisdiction of the ethics committee.

In August, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Deal "personally intervened with Georgia leaders to preserve an obscure state program" that benefited Gainesville Salvage & Disposal, a company he owned with a business partner, Ken Cronan. The company has a longtime agreement with Georgia to help the state inspect salvaged vehicles, and the newspaper reported that the state program earned Deal's company $1.5 million from 2004 to 2008.