Texas congressmen cleared in ethics investigation over campaign finance spending

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The House Ethics Committee on Monday cleared two Texas Republican congressmen — Wesley Hunt of Houston and Ronny Jackson of Amarillo — for violating campaign finance law by allegedly spending campaign money for personal use.

In a statement, the committee said it unanimously decided to close the investigations, including ones against two other representatives for the same accusations. The committee said in several investigations it resolved Monday, there was evidence that the member’s campaigns did not fully comply with campaign finance standards, as well as reporting or recordkeeping requirements for campaign spending.

“However, there was no evidence that any member intentionally misused campaign funds for their personal benefit,” the committee said in a statement.

The investigation began in March when the Office of Congressional Ethics, a nonpartisan group of professional staffers, sent campaign finance reports from the two representatives to the committee for investigation. They were accused of using campaign funds for private club memberships. Jackson spent nearly $12,000 since 2020 on membership at the Amarillo Club, and Hunt spent over $74,000 between April 2022 and January 2024 at the Post Oak Hotel, including membership fees at its exclusive Oak Room club.

The committee opened an identical investigation in 2022 into Jackon’s use of campaign funds to pay club dues. Then, Jackson’s lawyers said in an email to the committee that the membership included event space for fundraising.

In a written response to the ethics office regarding the 2024 investigation, Jackson said that he did not violate ethics rules. According to the ethics office report, the Amarillo Club declined to give information that could confirm Jackson used the club for strictly campaign reasons.

Hunt provided documents related to his Oak Room expenses, but they were heavily redacted, according to the office. He declined to sit for an interview by the office, but his lawyers said he did nothing wrong.

"I commend the House Ethics Committee for their swift resolution of this matter and extend my gratitude for their thorough and diligent work," Hunt said in a statement. "From the outset, I have maintained confidence that this issue would be resolved in our favor.”

Jackson echoed Hunt in a statement.

"I did everything by the book and have fully complied with the committee since these false allegations were first referred by the OCE in 2021," he said. "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."

The ethics committee also said the existing law and guidance from the Federal Election Commission is “often ambiguous” and provides gray areas of spending. The committee updated guidance on personal use of campaign funds and related recordkeeping requirements. In the statement, the committee said it provided relevant members with a copy of the updated guidance, as well as specific findings and recommendations for their campaign activity.