Did the Office of Congressional Ethics ever investigate Nancy Pelosi and when?

1. Short answer: records reviewed show no OCE probe of Pelosi — why that matters

A straight reading of the OCE public investigation lists and summaries provided in the recent materials shows no entry naming Nancy Pelosi as a subject of an OCE review or referral. Multiple snapshots of OCE investigation pages covering cases from 2010 through 2025 list numerous members and referrals but fail to include Pelosi, indicating there is no documented OCE action against her in those listings ^{[1] [2]}. The OCE’s role is to conduct independent, preliminary reviews and to refer matters to the House Committee on Ethics when warranted; the absence of a public entry for Pelosi means the OCE has not created a public dossier or referral involving her that appears in those listings ^[3]. This is significant because public OCE referrals are the normal mechanism by which ethics concerns about House members are made visible outside the closed Committee process, so their absence points strongly to there being no formal OCE investigation on record.

2. Where other public records intersect — subpoenas and committee files

Congressional filings and House records show other legal and oversight interactions involving Pelosi, most notably communications about third‑party subpoenas in a California criminal case in late 2023, which Pelosi disclosed to the House Clerk and said she would comply with after consulting House counsel ^{[4] [5]}. That disclosure and compliance discussion are distinct from an OCE investigation; subpoenas in external criminal proceedings do not automatically trigger an OCE probe, and the Congressional Record entry about the subpoenas makes no mention of an OCE action regarding Pelosi. Similarly, media and political reports referencing allegations or committee activity—such as reports criticizing the House Ethics Committee—do not substitute for an OCE investigation record and the cited articles and summaries do not provide evidence of an OCE inquiry into Pelosi ^{[6] [7]}.

3. Institutional context: Pelosi helped create the OCE, and the OCE’s remit shapes outcomes

Nancy Pelosi was a central figure in the creation of the OCE in 2008; the office was established as part of ethics reforms she championed, and it began operations in 2009 to provide independent review of alleged misconduct by House members ^{[3] [6]}. That institutional history is relevant because it clarifies both Pelosi’s public stance on oversight and the OCE’s mandate: the office reviews allegations, conducts preliminary investigations, and refers matters to the House Committee on Ethics when appropriate, but the Committee holds the exclusive disciplinary authority. Reports summarizing the OCE’s first 15 years show it handled hundreds of cases across both parties but do not list Pelosi as a subject, reinforcing the absence of a documented OCE inquiry ^[8].

4. Alternative explanations and what the record does not show

The absence of an OCE entry for Pelosi could reflect several concrete possibilities: there may never have been credible allegations prompting an OCE review; any complaint might have been handled internally or by the House Ethics Committee without an OCE referral; or records could exist outside the publicly cited pages reviewed here. Available public materials do not supply evidence that OCE opened, completed, or referred an investigation into Pelosi, and the documents that discuss her interactions with subpoenas and the ethics apparatus focus on separate processes ^{[1] [4] [8]}. Given the OCE’s transparent public reporting on referrals, the most straightforward reading of the record presented is that no OCE investigation exists for Pelosi in those materials.

5. Bottom line and further steps for confirmation

Based on the available OCE listings, Congressional Record entries, and historical summaries reviewed here, the factual conclusion is clear: there is no documented Office of Congressional Ethics investigation of Nancy Pelosi in the materials provided. For absolute confirmation beyond these sources, one could request archived OCE quarterly reports, contact the OCE for records requests, or review House Committee on Ethics public reports and congressional disclosures directly; those steps would verify whether any non‑public or differently cataloged action ever occurred, but the public record cited here contains no OCE probe of Pelosi ^{[1] [3]}.