The Deseret News, citing unnamed sources, is reporting that any probe by the Legislature into ethical lapses, including allegations of bribery and sexual harassment, won't happen.

Appropriately, the negotiations between conservative and moderate Republicans and their Dem allies to kill an investigation — like the issues it sought to uncover — happened behind closed doors, out of sight and hearing of the public.

Two alleged bombshells the lawmakers avoided:

• Former Rep. Mark Walker offered a job to his opponent Richard Ellis if Ellis dropped out of the state Treasurer race.
• Rep. Steve Mascaro sexually harassed an intern during the last session.

An unnamed conservative Republican lawmaker told the DNews' Bob Bernick:

I don't see anything happening with Mascaro, unless something more from either side (in his case) comes up. And I don't think we'll see any (complaints against GOP leaders) from the other side, either.

What is obvious from the agreement is that both sides had enough dynamite—particularly in the realm of sexual impropriety — to blow each other sky high.

Still Walker, House Speaker Greg Curtis, the happy guy above, and the rest of the GOP cabal (not even Mascaro) are not out of the woods yet. Two county prosecutors looking into criminal charges related to the bribery charges have subpoenaed local television stations for tapes of interviews with the Treasurer candidates and Curtis.

Looks like it's time for Curtis to call an intergovernmental meeting... behind closed doors, of course.