DOJ Drops Mollohan Probe

Federal prosecutors tell The Associated Press (updated link) that they've closed their nearly four-year investigation of U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-1st.

Mollohan is welcoming the outcome as an exoneration. In a Tuesday release, he called the complaints that spurred the probe a "right-wing attack" and a "politically motivated assault on my character."

The Washington Post appears to have broken the story, while W.Va. Blue may have been the first with the news in the Mountain State.

AP notes that the news arrives after six Republicans have filed with the secretary of state for a chance to challenge Mollohan in November. A seventh has done the same with the Federal Election Commission.

The development also follows a series of reports speculating on the status of the probe, and several political analysts ranking Mollohan's seats as increasingly competitive.