Officials have said that lawmakers given donations by business people at fundraisers within 48 hours of a House vote on a Wall Street reform bill are being investigated.

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the Office of Congressional Ethics is looking at the timing of the donations, saying accepting the campaign checks from people with a possible stake in the bill's fate created an unacceptable appearance of a conflict.

The newspaper further said that the office is scrutinizing five Republicans and three Democrats who held fundraisers for their re-election campaigns Dec. 9 or Dec. 10, 2009, immediately before the House voted in favor of a bill making broad changes in how Wall Street and financial firms are regulated.

Several of those named by the ethics office have released statements saying they've done nothing improper and are cooperating with the OCE's requests for information.

The Post also reported that the ethics manual of the House says members should not accept campaign donations if the timing creates an unacceptable appearance of a conflict of interest. (With inputs from Agencies)