Rep. Eric Anderson, R-Priest Lake, said he's happy with the House Ethics Committee's work. Anderson filed the complaint against Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, charging that Hart violated his oath of office; after that, Hart supporter Larry Spencer, a North Idaho activist, filed an ethics complaint against Anderson. That complaint was summarily dismissed by the Ethics Committee today and branded "frivolous."

Spencer's complaint, which questioned everything from how much Anderson paid for his home to whether he had a conflict of interest in voting on contractor registration legislation, led to hours of investigation that turned up nothing. "I didn't anticipate having a pretty thorough background check done on my life," Anderson said, and joked, "but maybe that'll help me apply for future high-security government jobs." Said the fourth-term lawmaker, "I've always tried to do the right thing. I've always tried to be honest in my actions." Of Spencer, he said, "Larry's on some sort of crusade. ... He seems to have a cause, and apparently I was it."

Anderson said he thought the ethics committee put in "a lot of hard work," and said, "It was pretty stressful for everybody." He said, "I hope the best for Phil, I really do. I hope he can get things together."