Investigation of Rep. Frank Voted by Panel

WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee voted Tuesday to conduct a preliminary investigation of Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who has acknowledged employing a male prostitute as a personal aide after initially hiring him for sex.

Although Frank had formally sought the investigation, the committee chairman, Rep. Julian C. Dixon (D-Los Angeles), told reporters that the decision “was not based on his request” but on the panel’s own initiative.

Frank welcomed the action, saying the matter “is now before the proper forum” and promising to “cooperate fully with the committee as it proceeds with its deliberations.”

Dixon said the investigation was prompted by “the assertions surrounding Barney Frank’s employment of Mr. Steve Gobie.”

Admitted Hiring

Frank, a leading congressional liberal and acknowledged homosexual, has admitted hiring Gobie, initially for sex and then from July, 1985, through August, 1987, as a housekeeper-driver paid from the lawmaker’s own funds.

The committee resolution said the panel was “aware of assertions relating to the conduct of Rep. Barney Frank in connection with his employment of a personal assistant.” The panel “has determined that the matters merit further inquiry,” the resolution added.

The committee vote began the first round of the House’s internal disciplinary process, and will determine whether a more complete investigation is necessary. The panel, officially the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, can issue subpoenas and take testimony during the preliminary stage.

Gobie has said in interviews that he used Frank’s Capitol Hill apartment to run a prostitution ring with the lawmaker’s knowledge.