Update: John Morse is now literally ditching the public in an attempt to avoid scrutiny for his per diem payments. A reader emails that Senator Morse skipped out on the “Budget Listening Tour” in CO Springs yesterday where he was scheduled to attend.

In less than 24 hours, John Morse's ethical implosion went from the front page of two Colorado conservative blogs to the headlines of one of the most widely read political online publications in America, Real Clear Politics.

What was once an issue Morse hoped to sweep under the rug, has now hit news outlets across the country through an Associated Press report on the ethics panel appointed to investigate his per diem payments.

This national exposure will put even more pressure on Senate President Brandon Shaffer to conduct a full and thorough investigation into Morse’s bilking taxpayers for nearly $40,000 in additional, tax-free income in 2009.

An ethics panel would not have been called if the charges were not serious and substantiated by copious amounts of clear documentation.

The fact that a similar issue basically brought down a Republican leader of the House only a few years ago when the Democrats were in charge will make it extremely important that this investigation is above board and transparent, as any effort to scuttle the investigation will lead to charges of partisanship since it’s a Democrat under investigation by a majority Democrat ethics panel.

This story is not going away and the people of Colorado, and reporters across the country, will be watching to make sure it comes to a fair and honest conclusion.