From Holden:

Actually, I never expected the House “Ethics” Committee to respond to this instance of Tom DeLay’s corruption, so I’m a bit surprised.

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, admonished by the House ethics committee for acting improperly by trying to persuade a Michigan Republican to change his vote on a Medicare prescription drug bill, could face another investigation by the panel.

The committee on Thursday approved an investigative report that serves as “a public admonishment” against DeLay, R-Texas, Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., and the lawmaker they were trying to influence, Rep. Nick Smith.

The committee found after its six-month investigation that DeLay and Miller linked a favorable vote by Smith to support of the House candidacy of Smith’s son.

[snip]

The public admonishments issued in the case of Smith’s Medicare vote are the lightest punishment the ethics committee can issue when it finds House rules have been violated.

[snip]

It is common for lawmakers to trade legislative votes to get legislation passed, the committee said. However, promising political support for a member’s relative “goes beyond the boundaries of party discipline and should not be used as the basis of a bargain for members to achieve their respective goals,” the committee said.