The House Committee on Ethics said Monday it has closed investigations into four members — a Democrat and three Republicans — regarding allegations over the personal use of campaign funds.
In a news release, the committee said there was evidence the campaigns of Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., and Republican Reps. Alex Mooney of West Virginia and Wesley Hunt and Ronny Jackson of Texas did not fully comply "with the applicable standards relating to personal use of campaign funds, as well as reporting or recordkeeping requirements for campaign expenditures."
"However, there was no evidence that any member intentionally misused campaign funds for their personal benefit," the committee said.
The Ethics Committee was working on recommendations by the Office of Congressional Ethics, created by the Democrat-controlled House in March 2008 to be a nonpartisan, independent entity that reviews allegations of misconduct against House members and their staff.
Bishop, who will be sworn in for his 17th term on Friday, was being investigated for using campaign funds for membership, green fees, and meals at two exclusive golf courses as well as gas to fuel vehicles used by him and his wife, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The committee also probed Bishop's use of a separate taxpayer-funded account that paid for holiday parties for his staff.
Bishop's office released a statement to the AJC saying he is grateful to be done with the matter, which began in 2019, and that he fully cooperated. The statement said Bishop also hired a new campaign treasurer and also an outside compliance firm to prepare expenditure reports.
Mooney, who will not be returning to the House after losing in West Virginia's Republican U.S. Senate primary to Sen.-elect Jim Justice, was accused by OCE of accepting a free or below-market-value trip to Aruba as well as free lodging and event space from a company that provides services to his campaign committee. OCE also accused him of using official resources, including staff time, for campaign work and personal errands.
"After facing these baseless accusations — driven by politically motivated actors on the extreme left — since 2021, I am pleased that my good name has been fully cleared," Mooney wrote Monday in a post on X.
OCE accused Hunt and Jackson of using campaign funds for private club memberships, the Texas Tribune reported Monday. Jackson spent nearly $12,000 since 2020 on membership at the Amarillo Club, and Hunt spent more than $74,000 between April 2022 and January 2024 at the Post Oak Hotel, including membership fees at its exclusive Oak Room club.
"I commend the House Ethics Committee for their swift resolution of this matter and extend my gratitude for their thorough and diligent work," Hunt, who was elected to a second term in November, said in a statement to the Tribune.
Said Jackson, also elected to a second term in November: "I am glad to put this ridiculous, partisan, and politically motivated matter behind me, and I am looking forward to working alongside President [-elect Donald] Trump to improve the lives of my constituents and all Americans."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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