Will he be cleared, or won't he?

That's the question one year after the FBI began its investigation into Congressman Tom Feeney's ties to convicted felon and jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff, an investigation that continues to shadow the Republican as he faces reelection in November.

There's no telling how this will play out in the coming months.

The influence-peddling probe could grind on indefinitely. Feeney could be exonerated, putting the matter to rest. Or he could be indicted on corruption charges and forced to resign.

The vulnerability has Democrats geared-up with former state Rep. Suzanne Kosmas of New Smyrna Beach leading a field of Democratic candidates trying to defeat the three-term Oviedo conservative whose district includes half of Brevard County.

Feeney strongly maintains his innocence. He has called his relationship with Abramoff an embarrassment and apologized for it.

But he still refuses to answer questions about the probe -- an insulting dodge to voters who deserve a full explanation and rightly wonder what he may be hiding behind the silence.

"To reiterate, this is a five year old story and there's no new news," says Feeney spokeswoman Pepper Pennington. "He has served the Space Coast with honesty and integrity and would never trade legislative favors for personal gain."

Still, the probe has forced Feeney to start a legal defense fund, with records showing he has spent at least $75,000 for attorney fees and a consulting firm that specializes in computer forensics such as recovering e-mail.

Feeney's troubles began when he accompanied Abramoff on a luxury Scotland golf junket in 2003 -- the same kind of trip Abramoff used to draw other members of Congress and their staff members into his criminal activities.

Feeney has insisted he was duped, saying he thought the trip was paid for by a conservative think tank called the National Center for Public Policy Research and cost $5,643.

But revelations last year raised serious questions about his statements.

The most troubling came from federal court documents in the case of Mark Zachares, a former aid to U.S. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, who pleaded guilty to corruption for his involvement with Abramoff.

Zachares, who was on the same Scotland golf trip as Feeney, admitted he worked with Abramoff's office to lie about the trip's cost and who paid for it.

Their cover story?

The trip was paid for by the National Center for Public Policy Research and cost $5,643 -- the same response given by Feeney.

Zachares actually knew the trip cost about $20,000 per person and its sole purpose was "to further his relationship and plan with Abramoff," according to the court documents.

Those same documents label Feeney as "Representative #3."

In 2003, Feeney was also among several lawmakers who wrote to the Energy Department opposing changes to a federal program that was also being fought by one of Abramoff's clients, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

Five months later, Abramoff treated a small group of people, including Feeney, to the luxury Scotland golf trip and a private jet flight across the Atlantic, the Times reported.

Another report in the Orlando Sentinel said Senate investigators discovered money for Feeney's trip came from a "slush fund" used by Abramoff to buy influence.

The Abramoff scandal has led to 11 convictions, including former White House official David Safavian, two former Interior Department officials and five congressional staff members.

So far the only congressman found guilty is former Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, another Abramoff golfing partner in prison for corruption.

Feeney hoped this situation would have disappeared by now, but it hasn't. That leaves voters wanting straight answers they're not getting. And it leaves Feeney under a cloud.