Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) has been ordered to reimburse her campaign in the amount of $10,800 after a House investigation found that she violated Federal Election Commission (FEC) rules.
Tlaib, a member of the far-left “Squad” in Congress, was the subject of a Democrat-led House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations that she had improperly drawn a salary from her 2018 campaign, Breitbart reported. The nine-member House Committee on Ethics, chaired by Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), issued the results of the investigation in a report on Friday.
To be clear, it is legal for a candidate to receive a salary from their campaign, but only until the day they cease being a candidate, either by winning or losing the election or dropping out of the race.
The problem for Tlaib is that she continued to draw a salary for several weeks following the 2018 election in November.
“Bad timing and not ill intent”
According to the report, the investigation found that approximately $17,500 in campaign salary for Tlaib was in question and potentially in violation of the 1971 Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA).
The committee ultimately determined that Tlaib’s “violation of the applicable restrictions was one of bad timing and not ill intent.”
“Representative Tlaib engaged in good faith efforts to comply with the relevant FECA requirements,” the report continued. “The Committee did not find that she sought to unjustly enrich herself by receiving the campaign funds at issue.”
It noted that the salary she received while a candidate was acceptable and within the allowable threshold, but, “because she received some of those funds, totaling $10,800, for time periods in which she was no longer a congressional candidate, those funds were inconsistent with FECA’s personal use restrictions.”
As such, she was ordered to reimburse her campaign within one year for the $10,800 she improperly received after winning her election and becoming a “member-elect” instead of a remaining a candidate.
The committee determined that no additional action should be taken in regard to this matter.
What’s next?
Politico noted that the Ethics Committee report came just days after Tlaib won her primary race to retain her seat.
Given the heavily Democratic makeup of her district, the outspoken Trump critic is expected to win re-election to the House in November.
No comments: