House Ethics Committee Will Investigate Pennsylvania Rep. Who Called an Aide His 'Soul Mate'

Disgraced Pennsylvania Congressman Pat Meehan—the same man who referred to a young female aide as his “soul mate” and subsequently announced that he would not seek re-election at the end of his term—will now be the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation, The Hill reported Tuesday evening.

Meehan himself used to sit on the committee, but was removed from it after The New York Times reported last month that he used taxpayer money to settle a harassment claim filed by his former aide.

The committee also voted to investigate Meehan’s chief of staff, Brian Schubert.

In late January, Meehan corroborated the bulk of the Times’ reporting in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, which he told he had a “deep affection” for his aide—though he claims he never actually pursued a relationship with or harassed her after she disclosed that she was involved with someone else. He also said his aggressive behavior toward her could be attributed to stress surrounding a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

After he received backlash for calling the aide his “soul mate,” he walked the comments back, saying that, to him, “a soul mate means a uniquely close person who is joined with you on a daily basis, in which you both share the routine successes and strains of a work day.”