The identity of the legislator whose case led to the controversy has not been made public.

The legislature's ethics committee met this morning to discuss a bill that would prohibit the state auditor from investigating violations of the ethics law.

The law governs conflicts of interest and other issues for lawmakers, elected officials, appointed board members, university employees and thousands of public servants. It was written in response to a series of scandals primarily involving legislators.

The State Ethics Commission was created to enforce and interpret the law. The commission includes four Democrats and four Republicans and has expertise in the ethics law, says Perry Newson, the commission's executive director.

But state Auditor Les Merritt, who is elected statewide, said he should have the right to investigate potential conflicts of interest.

Taking his office out of the picture, he said, would mean fewer investigators to watch public officials and less transparency for the public. Because lawmakers treat themselves differently under the ethics law, allegations against lawmakers could remain secret, Merritt argued.

A committee considering expelling Rep. Thomas Wright meets tomorrow.

The House Select Committee to Investigate Alleged Misconduct and other Matters Included in Indictments Against Rep. Thomas Wright will hold its first meeting at 4 p.m. in Room 544 of the Legislative Office Building.

The committee with the unwieldy name will consider criminal indictments against the Wilmington Democrat that he defrauded banks, corporations and political donors.

Separately, the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee will look into whether Wright improperly used his office to convince a state worker to write a fraudulent letter that helped him secure a $150,000 loan.

A spokesman for Speaker Joe Hackney said the meeting will be mostly, er, housekeeping, setting up a schedule and laying down the rules of the game.

Hat Tip: Tim Boyum

House Speaker Joe Hackney has appointed the six-member committee that will look into allegations against Rep. Thomas Wright.

According to an announcement from Hackney's office, the committee will have the same House members as the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee, which is also looking into Wright.

The two committees are needed because of the nature of the allegations and the relevant laws in place at the time. (For more on that, visit the Tavern.)

Rep. Rick Glazier will chair the committee and House Minority Leader Paul Stam will be vice chair.

The other members are: Reps. Marvin Lucas, Bill McGee, Edith Warren and Laura Wiley.

Glazier, Lucas and Warren are Democrats; Stam, McGee, and Wiley are Republicans.

Rep. Thomas Wright will face ethics hearings in the state House.

The General Assembly's ethics committee announced Wednesday that they have enough evidence to convene hearings against the Wilmington Democrat, the Charlotte Observer reports.

Hearings likely will be scheduled for early February, according to co-Chairman Rick Glazier, a Fayetteville Democrat.

Wright also is expected to face hearings by another, special committee convened to consider charges against him. Either committee's proceedings, akin to a trial, could lead to a House vote to expel him.

"When allegations this serious come to our attention, we have the obligation to investigate and act," said House Speaker Joe Hackney.

House Speaker Joe Hackney said that the legislature held off on investigating Rep. Thomas Wright at the request of prosecutors.

At a press conference this afternoon, he said that the matter was referred "expeditiously and promptly" to the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee as soon as allegations surfaced. 

"The investigation was begun promptly," he said.

However, he said that Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby asked the co-chairs of the committee that they put their work on hold so that it not interfere with his own investigation.

"While I was not a party to that decision on their part to do that, I do support it and think that it was correct," he said.

Still, Hackney said it rankled him to be criticized for holding off on the investigation.

What will happen next to Rep. Thomas Wright?

Assuming he doesn't resign from office any time soon, Wright will face something akin to a trial in the legislature. Here are the steps, according to Robin Johnson, general counsel to Speaker Joe Hackney:

1. The Joint Legislative Ethics Committee meets behind closed doors to discuss whether there is probable cause to consider expelling Wright. This is similar to a grand jury.

2. If the committee determines there is probable cause, it sends a letter to Wright about it. That letter may or may not be public, Johnson said.

3. Any time between 30 and 90 days after the letter is sent, the committee holds a hearing to hear from witnesses and subpoenas records. Wright is allowed to defend himself and cross-examine witnesses. Hackney said the hearing would be public.

4. After the hearings, the committee decides whether it has probable cause to expel Wright, dismiss all charges or censure him.

5. The House would then vote to confirm those findings. The Senate would not need to vote on the matter.

Update: A spokesman for Hackney said legislative staffers are still researching whether the letter to Wright would be public.

House Speaker Joe Hackney said the legislature will discuss expelling Rep. Thomas Wright.

At a press conference this afternoon, the Chapel Hill Democrat said that he will ask Gov. Mike Easley to call a special session of the General Assembly to consider removing Wright from office if the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee recommends it.

That would be a historic move. The House Ethics Committee has not expelled a member in more than 100 years.

"We're going to move ahead expeditiously to resolve it," he said.

On Monday, Wright was indicted by the Wake County district attorney on five counts of obtaining property under false pretenses and one count of obstruction of justice after a lengthy criminal investigation.

Prosecutors say he solicited donations from three companies for charitable work in Wilmington, then spent them on personal items.

The Wilmington Democrat, now in his eighth term, was a top lieutenant for disgraced former House Speaker Jim Black.

House investigations into Rep. Thomas Wright may be quieting calls for his resignation.

A staffer for House Minority Leader Paul Stam, an Apex Republican normally not shy about sharing his opinions, told Dome that he could not comment on Wright's indictments because he is on the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee.

Since this summer, that committee has been charged with figuring out what to do about Wright.

At the same time, Rep. Deborah Ross, a Raleigh Democrat, told Dome she couldn't comment because she chairs a separate House Ethics Committee that could end up looking into Wright as well.

"It's kind of like asking a judge 'Is this person guilty?'" she said. "You can't do that."

Earlier: Who's called for Wright to resign?

The Joint Legislative Ethics Committee will investigate Rep. Thomas Wright.

Or maybe not. It could just refer the case to an outside investigator or the State Bureau of Investigation.

The committee released a statement noting that it had received a referral from Speaker Joe Hackney on Wright's campaign finance irregularities. 

Because the legislature's rules allow the committee to operate in secrecy, it's hard to say what that means, beyond the Sphinx-like statement of co-chairman Rep. Rick Glazier: "It means what it says."

The Wilmington Star-News has the story. Laura Leslie has a good analysis on Hunter's Tavern: 

Essentially, what Glazier said (as far as I can parse it) is that the Joint Ethics committee isn't dismissing the Wright complaint outright. But that's about all we know.