(TIME) - The Senate Ethics Committee released a report Thursday afternoon alleging that former Sen. John Ensign broke federal laws in a cover-up of the extramarital affair that torpedoed his once-promising career.

The bipartisan committee, which released its findings after a 22-month investigation, voted unanimously to refer the matter to the Department of Justice and the Federal Election Commission. “We have reason to believe that Sen. Ensign violated laws within their jurisdiction,” Ethics Committee chair Barbara Boxer said in a statement on the Senate floor.