An ethics charge has been brought against Florida's ex-Secretary of State Katherine Harris.

The Florida chapter of the senior's organization Alliance of Retired Americans has requested the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct inquire into Harris' conduct:

The group claims that Harris abused the powers of her office and trampled on First Amendment rights when she had her staff seize printed material -- health care talking points and copies of Harris' voting record -- from retirees who attended a town hall meeting with the congresswoman in Bradenton, Fla., this summer.

Harris' response?

"It is unfortunate that these professional disrupters from Palm Beach seek to lengthen their 15 minutes of fame through a frivolous complaint," Harris' office wrote in an e-mail to the Miami Daily Business Review.