A Maryland state senator facing federal bribery charges has been removed from his committee assignments.
The Senate president removed Sen. Nathaniel Oaks from his position on the Senate Finance Committee Monday night on recommendation from the General Assembly's ethics committee.
A trial on the bribery charges is scheduled for April, after the legislative session ends.
The legislature's ethics panel asked the U.S. attorney's office whether they should proceed with their own investigation to determine whether it should sanction the senator. Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen Schenning said he believed it would be prudent for the panel to hold off "until the federal charges are resolved," and the panel agreed to wait on its own full investigation.
Still, the panel decided the seriousness of the charges warranted Oaks' removal from the committee.
