WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Richmond, is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, the bipartisan panel introduced. It didn’t specify the main focus of the investigation, however Nehls stated it was associated to his marketing campaign’s funds.
The committee introduced Tuesday it was digging right into a matter reported to its members on Dec. 11 and it’ll announce the way it will proceed by Could 10. Investigations don’t point out that there have been any confirmed violations of ethics guidelines.
Nehls stated in an announcement Tuesday that he would cooperate with the committee.
“My marketing campaign has complied with each Federal Election Fee (FEC) legislation, and my books are open,” he stated.
The committee is made up of 5 Democrats and 5 Republicans, with U.S. Rep. Michael Visitor, R-Mississippi, serving because the chair. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, is the one Texan on the committee. Visitor and rating member Susan Wild, D-Pennsylvania, collectively agreed to pursue the investigation.
Nehls is understood for his colourful character on Capitol Hill, which has usually led to controversy. A die-hard fan of President Donald Trump, Nehls doesn’t shy from loudly blasting Democrats or breaking decorum to show some extent. He wore a T-shirt with Trump’s face to the State of the Union and pushed Trump for House speaker after Kevin McCarthy was faraway from the job. He wrote a ebook in 2022 claiming the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump.
It has additionally led to feedback different members discovered offensive. Nehls known as the husband of U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-Missouri, a “thug” earlier this yr. Bush and her husband are Black and denounced the remark as racist. The comment drew condemnation from Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries and the Congressional Black Caucus. Nehls didn’t apologize for the comment.
Nehls’ marketing campaign reported losing over $150,000 last year in wire fraud, prompting an investigation by the Federal Election Fee. The marketing campaign was in a position to get well over $130,000 of the stolen funds, which had been reportedly despatched to a mysterious entity, “Misty J Productions.”
Earlier than Congress, Nehls was fired in 1998 as an officer with the Richmond Police Division after a number of violations to division coverage, together with mishandling proof and disobeying orders.
The Home Ethics Committee investigates violations to Home guidelines by members and employees. It sends its investigations to the complete Home to take disciplinary motion if members discover there was a violation and also can refer instances to the Justice Division if there may be proof of against the law.
The Home Ethics Committee final yr referred former U.S. Rep. George Santos, R-New York, to the Justice Division to analyze alleged marketing campaign finance violations. The committee laid out its findings in a report back to the complete Home, which voted to expel Santos in December.
The committee additionally opened an investigation into U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, in April 2022 after the Workplace of Congressional Ethics reported that Jackson had improperly used marketing campaign donations to pay for memberships to a social membership in Amarillo. The committee made the report public that May however didn’t publish any findings to its personal probe.
However some investigations ended extra innocuously. U.S. Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Sherman, was additionally below investigation in 2022 for failing to submit monetary studies on time. The committee voted unanimously to close the investigation after it discovered no proof Fallon deliberately missed the deadline.
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This story was produced by The Texas Tribune.
