Barr files ethics complaint against Condit

Barr had already urged Condit to resign.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Republican congressman filed an official ethics complaint Friday against Rep. Gary Condit, adding another possible layer of inquiry into Condit's conduct in the Chandra Levy case.

Rep. Bob Barr, R-Georgia, sent the complaint in the form of a letter to the ethics committee Friday, a day after urging Condit, D-California, to resign his seat.

"In light of the mounting and already substantial evidence that a member of the United States House of Representatives -- Rep. Gary Condit, California 18th -- has obstructed a law enforcement investigation, and otherwise engaged in behavior in violation of the Rules of the House, I request the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct begin an inquiry into this matter," Barr wrote committee Chairman Joel Hefley, R-Colorado.

Levy, 24, was last reported seen April 30 at a Washington gym. She had packed her bags and told her family she was coming home after completing an internship at the federal Bureau of Prisons. Condit, 53, a married father of two, has been a focus of attention due to reports he was romantically involved with her.

In a rare interview for an ethics committee chairman, Hefley told National Public Radio Wednesday it was "premature" to consider an investigation, in part because no complaint had been filed.

"As far as we know, Congressman Condit has not violated any laws. We don't get into personal actions -- whether or not he had an affair with that young woman or not -- that's not something we ordinarily get into," he said.

The Barr complaint does not automatically trigger a full-fledged ethics probe, according to congressional aides familiar with the process. But it does require a decision of the 10-member panel, which is evenly divided between Republican and Democrats, whether the evidence warrants a deeper look.

It could not be determined when the committee would begin looking at the matter. If Condit is found guilty of violating House rules he could face punishment ranging from a letter of reprimand to the most severe -- expulsion from Congress.