'To end any questions, I am requesting that the Committee formally review the matter.' Petri seeks ethics probe — of himself

Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.) is requesting an unusual investigation: A review of his own ethics.

In a letter to the House Ethics Committee released by his office on Monday, Petri said he was “distressed by the innuendo” in recent news articles questioning his congressional actions in relation to his personal stock portfolio.


“To end any questions, I am requesting that the Committee formally review the matter and report back,” he wrote.

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The step follows a recent Gannett Washington bureau investigation into his stock ownership in Oshkosh, a defense contractor in his home district that he has championed in Congress.

The report found that Petri’s Oshkosh stock increased 30 percent as he advocated for the company’s interests. His investments of $265,000 to $650,000 in Oshkosh stock increased in value $340,000 to $863,000, Gannett reported.

In the letter, Petri stressed that his actions are no different from any other stockholder’s and that he has reported his investments in annual disclosure forms.

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“My advocacy has been undertaken openly,” he wrote. “I have, from time to time, contacted the Committee for guidance on these issues.”