From left, Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., actor George Clooney and journalist Nick Clooney were arrested after taking part in a protest at the Sudan Embassy in Washington

From left, Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., actor George Clooney and journalist Nick Clooney were arrested after taking part in a protest at the Sudan Embassy in Washington Cliff Owen/AP

No ethics penalties for lawmakers arrested with Clooney

Panel said it considered the 'scope and nature of the conduct.'

The House Ethics Committee announced on Thursday it would not pursue any penalties against the four members of Congress who were arrested alongside George Clooney last week outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, DC.

The lawmakers -- Reps. Al Green, D-Texas; Jim Moran, D- Va.; Jim McGovern, D-Mass.; and John Olver, D-Mass. -- were protesting Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for provoking a humanitarian crisis in the African nation.

Each were handcuffed and placed into a U.S. Secret Service van, according to AP.

The ethics committee said it considered the “scope and nature of the conduct” and that it was not opening a formal inquiry into the matter.