House to Probe Accusations of Falsified Jobs Reports

Prior to the 2012 elections

The House Oversight Committee is vowing to thoroughly investigate a report that unemployment data was falsified months before the 2012 presidential election.

The New York Post reported Monday evening that a Census Bureau employee had been found fabricating unemployment survey data that helped determine the nation's jobless rate.

Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) told The Hill Tuesday that the Oversight panel plans to probe the findings, which he called "extremely serious."

"The allegation that data gathered by the Census Bureau is being manipulated for any reason is extremely serious. The Oversight Committee has jurisdiction over the Census Bureau and will be thoroughly investigating these claims," he said in a statement.