The House Ethics Committee Summarily Dismisses Potential Violations Against Four Members
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Dec. 30, 2024, the House Ethics Committee issued a press release dismissing all allegations of violations of campaign finance and ethics rules by Reps. Alexander Mooney (R-WV), Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Wesley Hunt (R-TX) and Sanford Bishop (D-GA).
The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) compiled extensive records of potential violations of campaign finance laws and House ethics rules by these members, including personal use of campaign funds, using official resources for personal errands, accepting free gifts of travel, and concealing evidence of abuse.
“In summarily dismissing all charges of potential violations of ethics rules, the House Ethics Committee is shirking its responsibilities to both the House of Representatives and the American public,” said Craig Holman, Ph.D., government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen. “The press release from the Ethics Committee hinted that violations may have indeed occurred with personal use of campaign funds (‘a gray area’ and ‘did not fully comply’ with the rules, stated the release) and avoided any discussion of the other allegations, but dismissed the charges nonetheless.”
“This is further evidence that the House Ethics Committee, on its own, is too embedded with members of Congress to adequately enforce ethics rules,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen. “A fair and impartial congressional ethics process needs the public awareness and oversight provided by the outside Office of Congressional Ethics.”
Though these four members may not face significant scrutiny by the House Ethics Committee, the eventual public release of the OCE reports may produce additional scrutiny by the public and, perhaps, the Federal Election Commission.