House Ethics Committee probing complaint against Rep. Rashida Tlaib
By S.A. Miller
The Washington Times
Monday, September 30, 2019
The House Ethics Committee announced Monday that it is reviewing a complaint against Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who has gained notoriety as a member of the group of far-left freshmen congresswomen known as “The Squad.”
The committee did not disclose the nature of the complaint against Ms. Tlaib, Michigan Democrat. But she has faced questions recently about collecting paychecks from her campaign after Election Day in violation of campaign finance rules.
Campaign records showed that Ms. Tlaib paid herself $17,500 in salary after the midterm elections, in what appeared to be a violation of the rules, according to a report in March by The Washington Free Beacon.
Federal Election Commission rules prohibit candidates from paying themselves out of campaign coffers after the election or whenever the campaign ends.
The complaint against Ms. Tlaib was forwarded to the committee by the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent, nonpartisan office created by the House to receive and review allegations of misconduct and determine if they are worthy of review by the Ethics Committee.
The committee noted that the mere fact of a referral or an extension does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred or reflect any judgment on behalf of the committee.
The extension of the review of the matter was announced in a joint statement by Ethics Committee Chairman Ted Deutch, Florida Democrat, and ranking member Rep. Kenny Marchant, Texas Republican.
