Three Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee were hit with ethics complaints on Wednesday for engaging in ‘suspicious activities’ including campaign fundraising violations and soliciting financial contributions for their own legislation on social media.
Reps. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania, Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Lucy McBath of Georgia were listed in the complaint filed with the Office of Congressional Ethics.
The complaint was filed by the Americans for Public Trust, a non-profit watch dog group formed by former National Republican Congressional committee research director Caitlin Sutherland.
The complaints allege that all three violated federal law and House ethics rules and calls for investigations into their conduct.
Reps. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania, Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Lucy McBath of Georgia (above) were hit with ethics complaints filed with the Office of Congressional Ethics on Wednesday over ‘suspicious activities’ related to campaign funds.
The complaint against McBath alleges she accepted ‘millions of dollars’ in illegal campaign contributions from Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund – which is largely financed by Michael Bloomberg
The complaint against McBath alleges she accepted millions of dollars in illegal campaign contributions from Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund – which is largely financed by Michael Bloomberg.
McBath was employed by Everytown prior to announcing her run for Congress in March 2018. The complaint states she remained employed thee for two more months and once appeared on TV as a Congressional candidate and a spokesperson for Everytown.
She also allegedly received money from Everytown for her campaign during the time she was employed there.
Everytown reported in an FEC filing that they first began contributing to McBath’s campaign on April 24, 2018.
Just yesterday McBath formally endorsed Michael Bloomberg in the Democratic primary
‘However, Everytown began spending in the election for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District while Representative McBath was still serving as the group’s national spokesperson,’ the OCE complaint says.
‘It is not publicly known what level of involvement Representative McBath had in Everytown’s expenditures against her eventual general election opponent while she was still employed by Everytown,’ the complaint adds.
Everytown spent over $1.2million in her primary race and over $3million in her general election campaign, according to the complaint.
‘If Everytown’s spending was coordinated with Rep. McBath, it would constitute millions of dollars in illegal campaign contributions that were unreported, excessive, and prohibited by law.’
Corporate contributions to candidates are illegal under federal law, unless they are donations that fall under strict rules, contribution limits and are reported.
Just yesterday McBath formally endorsed Michael Bloomberg in the Democratic primary.
The complaint claims Rep. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania used funds from her suspended lieutenant governor campaign in Pennsylvania for her Congress campaign
Dean announced her candidacy for Congress in February 2018, three months after her campaign for the lieutenant governor position. With those priors funds she made a congressional campaign website, paid for software for fundraising, voter contact and reimbursed staff on her congressional campaign
In Dean’s case, the complaint claims she used funds from her suspended lieutenant governor campaign in Pennsylvania for her Congress campaign.
Dean announced her candidacy for Congress in February 2018, three months after her campaign for the lieutenant governor position.
With those priors funds she made a congressional campaign website, paid for software for fundraising, voter contact and reimbursed staff on her congressional campaign.
Re-using those funds violates federal law, the complaint alleges, because campaigns for federal office must only use funds that were subject to the Federal Election Commission.
Contributions to a state campaign are not subject to the same reporting and contribution limits as federal contributions.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington is accused of soliciting financial contributions and posting links to a broadcast of her bill on the House Rules Committee floor. The House Rules Committee forbids that official actions be used for partisan political campaign purposes
On April 30, 2019 the Committee held a hearing on the Medicare for All Act of 2019, a bill she introduced. That same day her campaign solicited financial contributions from the public to keep ‘momentum going’ for the bill
In Jayapal’s case, the complaint alleged she violated House rules by posting social media posts and soliciting financial contributions towards a bill she introduced before the House Rules Committee.
On April 30, 2019 the Committee held a hearing on the Medicare for All Act of 2019, a bill she introduced.
That same day her campaign solicited financial contributions from the public to keep ‘momentum going’ for the bill.
Those posts linked to CSPAN broadcast coverage of a hearing for the bill and referenced the hearing, which was a violation of a House rule against using broadcast coverage of official House business for political purposes.
Asking for contributions towards her legislation is another House rule violation.
House members are not allowed to request money or other things of value connected to official duty.