House Ethics Committee closes four campaign finance investigations

The House Ethics Committee on Monday unanimously decided to close out four campaign finance violation investigations, concluding that none of the instances of misuse were done intentionally. 

The investigations come after the House Ethics Committee released its report on former Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, which found that there was evidence Gaetz paid multiple women for sex, including a 17-year-old high school junior, used illegal drugs like cocaine and ecstasy, and obstructed efforts by Congress to investigate his conduct.

Gaetz has denied the allegations and a separate Justice Department investigation into the allegations did not yield any criminal charges.

The latest cases focused on alleged campaign finance violations from Democratic Georgia Rep. Sanford Bishop, and GOP Reps. Ronny Jackson and Wesley Hunt of Texas, and Alex Mooney from West Virginia. 

The panel concluded that while some of the cases included “evidence that the Member’s campaign 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," none of the members violated campaign finance rules intentionally. 

The committee decided not to take any disciplinary action against the lawmakers who did violate the rules, admitting that the existing rules under the Federal Election Commission are unclear, but gave them updated guidance and recommendations for how to avoid violations in the future, per Politico.

Jackson praised the decision to dismiss his case, claiming it exonerated him from the allegations and that it proved he did not funds for personal use.

“I am glad to put this ridiculous, partisan, and politically motivated matter behind me, and I am looking forward to working alongside President Trump to improve the lives of my constituents and all Americans,” Jackson told Politico.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.