The House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation into Guam Democratic Del. Michael F.Q. San Nicolas over allegations that he may have had a sexual relationship with a member of his staff, converted campaign funds for personal use and accepted improper campaign contributions.
Ethics Chairman Ted Deutch of Florida and ranking member Kenny Marchant of Texas said in a statement Wednesday that the committee will gather additional information on the allegations and that the probe “does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.”
San Nicolas, a former vice president of the Bank of Guam, served five years in the territory’s Legislature before he defeated eight-term Democratic incumbent Madeleine Z. Bordallo in a primary last year.
He is a member of the Financial Services and Natural Resources committees, and on Wednesday questioned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the company’s plan to introduce its own cryptocurrency, dubbed Libra.
But on the House floor, where this year delegates were granted the ability to vote on bills related to the Committee of the Whole, San Nicolas voted just 47 percent of the time he has been eligible through Oct. 23, according to CQ’s Vote Watch. Overall, he’s missed 138 of 259 votes so far.
Paul V. Fontelo contributed to this report.
