House ethics panel finds no wrongdoing by GOP Rep. Buchanan
Buchanan had been under scrutiny for several years after a former business partner alleged that Buchanan used straw donors to funnel thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions to his campaigns via employees at two car dealerships Buchanan owned.
Buchanan denied the allegations by Sam Kazran, as well as Kazran's claim that Buchanan pressured him into signing a false affidavit regarding illegal campaign contributions.
The independent Office of Congressional Ethics asked the ethics panel to investigate Buchanan in January 2012 after finding there was "substantial reason to believe" that Buchanan attempted to influence Kazran's testimony in a proceeding before the Federal Election Commission.