The latest news in the Duvall scandal seems to be causing additional scrutiny of Assemblyman Jeff Miller, as Miller was the person Mike Duvall was telling his story to in the infamous video tape of the July 8 Appropriations hearing.

Democrat Assembly Speaker Karen Bass removed Miller from the Assembly Ethics Committee, as The Fly reported here on Red County.  Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher (R-San Diego) was appointed to replace him.  The removal was not unexpected since it is an obvious conflict of interest for a member of the investigating committee to also be a witness in the case.  The committee will call on Miller to testify as he is the only eyewitness, so to speak, since Duvall was speaking directly to him.  Miller states he wasn't paying attention because Duvall was constantly talking in that committee.

Speculation has swirled that it was Miller's office that was the source of the tip about the video.  It's being reported that Miller has had to defend his actions and those of his staff, such as why did they wait two months. Further speculation surrounds what their motives were in their actions in this scandal.

Brian Joseph looks at who may have leaked the Duvall tape to the press.

"This is not something you could just stumble upon. Someone would have to tip you off to it," he writes. "

So who did it? We may never know for sure, but the Capitol buzz and some evidence points to  Orange County Assemblyman Jeff Miller and Republican Party insider and OC blogger Jon Fleischman.

"Miller, a Republican out of Corona who also represents part of Orange County, is the lawmaker Duvall is bragging to on the tape. Many in the Capitol speculate that Miller reached over and turned on Duvall’s microphone while they were chatting. And in fact,   Miller’s face is fuzzed out in the KCAL-TV report “to protect our sources.”

Thursday afternoon, Republicans held a caucus to let Miller defend himself, and his staff. The three Republicans on the Ethics Committee -- Martin Garrick, Nathan Fletcher and Bill Emmerson -- were told not to attend. 

Miller himself was on the Ethics Committee until yesterday, Capitol Weekly reports.  "Miller, R-Corona, was taken off the committee 'because he was party to a conversation that is being investigated by the Ethics Committee. It is not appropriate for Mr. Miller to remain on the committee,' said Bass spokeswoman Shannon Murphy."

Dan Walters says Duvall's fall "has enlivened an otherwise dreary final week of the 2009 legislative session."

"The more plausible – and widely accepted – theory is that one of Duvall's fellow Republicans did him in, either due to a grudge or to remove him from contention in a future state Senate contest. It's also possible that the story kicked around the Capitol for a couple of months until someone, for some reason, decided to drop a dime."

See the whole report here.