The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) found “substantial reason to believe” that Reps. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) and Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) misused campaign funds at two social clubs in Texas.
In two separate reports released Monday, the OCE — an independent, nonpartisan body that reviews allegations of misconduct toward lawmakers and staff — found that Jackson and Hunt spent thousands of campaign dollars at two private Texas social clubs from a way that, according to them, violates ethics. standards.
Campaign finance laws prohibit lawmakers from applying campaign funds for personal use, which includes taxes or fees paid at a country club, unless they are for a specific fundraising event.
The OCE recommended that the Ethics Committee further investigate the allegations, and the panel said it would review them, according tostatementsin president and ranking member on Monday. Lawyers for both lawmakers argued that the funds spent on the social clubs were for official purposes.
In Hunt’s case, theOCE foundthat his campaign – Hunt for Congress – spent $74,525.60 on fees, meals and other services at the Oak Room, a private social club at the Post Oak Hotel in Houston, between April 2022 and January 2024.
Part of this amount – US$5,412.50 – was allocated to the payment of dues and fees in 2022 and 2023. There were two disbursements of US$2,706.25 each, with one called “Association” in April 2022 and another for “Food/ Drinks” in April 2023, according to the watchdog.
The OCE said Hunt provided some emails and text messages that “demonstrated his use of the club for some campaign-related meetings,” but added that the congressman’s “refusal to certify the integrity of his output to the OCE called into question whether there were other documents demonstrating the use of the Oak Room for any personal purpose.”
Hunt, his wife, his chief of staff and his field representative declined to participate in an interview with the OCE, the document said.
“[W]Without cooperation, the OCE could not determine the extent to which Rep. Hunt may have taken advantage of the Oak Room’s exclusive events or any parking benefits or hotel room discounts,” the report adds.
On along statementaddressed to the Ethics Committee, Chris Gober, Hunt’s attorney, stated that his client “never used the Post Oak Club membership paid for by Hunt for Congress for any personal purpose.”
Gober also noted that Hunt “does not maintain a campaign office,” arguing that the cost of Oak Room membership “would be a more prudent use of campaign funds.”
The OCE also focused on two large payments Hunt’s campaign made to the Post Oak Hotel. It said the campaign made a $43,626.52 payment to the Post Oak Hotel on Nov. 4, 2022, for “facility rental/restoration,” followed by a $4,132.44 payment on Nov. 7, 2022. 2022.
It noted, however, that it could not determine whether the payments were made “for legitimate campaign purposes” because the congressman would not give an interview.
Gober, Hunt’s lawyer, said those funds were for an election night party.
“The OCE’s position on these expenses shows a casual disregard for common sense, context, and the documents the congressman provided,” Gober wrote, pointing out that one of the emails delivered to the organization said the campaign would host an “Election Night ”. Party” at the hotel on November 7, 2022.
“The costs cited by OCE were obviously to the congressman’s winning party,” he wrote. “It goes without saying that the costs of an election night party are legitimate campaign expenses.”
JacksonOCE ReportMeanwhile, it is a continuation of a previous investigation the watchdog conducted against the congressman.
The entity alleged that Jackson’s campaign – Texans for Ronny Jackson – used campaign funds to pay for unlimited access to the Amarillo Club, a private dining club in Amarillo, Texas. According to the group, Jackson’s campaign spent $11,928.27 on dues, fees, meals and other services at the Amarillo Club between October 2020 and January 2024.
The OCE report released Monday follows a separate report made publicly available in May 2022, which similarly said the watchdog had “substantial reason to believe” the congressman used campaign funds for campaign fees. membership and other services at the Amarillo Club.
In Monday’s report, the OCE said it opened another investigation into Jackson’s use of campaign funds after failing to obtain any new information about the payments in question from the Ethics Committee and finding that Jackson continued to use campaign funds. at the Amarillo Club.
“In the period since the OCE reference on December 17, 2021, the Committee has continued to review the OCE reference in accordance with Committee Rule 18(a) and has not provided any additional guidance regarding Rep. membership payments. During this period, Representative Jackson continued to make payments to the club without being intimidated,” wrote the OCE.
“In light of the long-standing use of campaign funds for this purpose, the OCE has opened this review,” he added.
The OCE said Jackson has refused to cooperate with the current investigation. The congressman’s lawyer told the watchdog “that a response would not be provided because – in their opinion – the present inquiry was merely an extension of the previous investigation that Rep. Jackson intended to restate all of the arguments presented in his official response to the OCE due is important,” according to the report.
In a statement responding to the May 2022 OCE report, Jackson’s attorney, Justin Clark, said the Texas Republican purchased a membership to the Amarillo Club so he could utilize meeting rooms at the facility “for indoor and outdoor meetings.” , including but not limited to fundraising events.” and other campaign purposes.
The OCE, however, said that without Jackson’s cooperation — both he and the Amarillo Club declined to give interviews as part of the latest investigation — the watchdog “was unable to determine the extent to which his use of the club and of the campaign committee’s food and beverages, spending at the club was related to the campaign.”
“Regardless, the payment of monthly dues by the campaign committee implies the prohibition of personal use of campaign funds”, adds the report.
The Hill has reached out to Jackson’s office for comment.
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