Ethics office: GOP lawmaker may have broken campaign law

The House Ethics Committee on Wednesday said it is reviewing whether Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) improperly used federal taxpayer money to pay a campaign consultant.

A report from the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) states that Broun’s congressional office paid O’Donnell & Associates, a communications firm, $43,750 between June 2012 and March 2014. Broun was running as a candidate for the Georgia Republican Senate primary, as well as for his House seat, during that period.

{mosads}”During the exact same period of time, Communications Adviser provided extensive campaign communications and debate counseling services to Representative Broun’s election campaigns,” the OCE report says.

Federal law and House rules prohibit lawmakers from using their taxpayer-funded representational allowances, or budgets for office expenses, for campaign activities, the OCE noted.

“If Representative Broun used funds from his Members’ Representational Allowance (“MRA”) for an impermissible purpose — to retain an individual as a consultant to his congressional office — then he may have violated House rules and federal law,” the report states.

The OCE report says Broun received hourlong consulting sessions on approximately a weekly basis while Congress was in session as well as “extensive” communications advice for Broun’s congressional office. The consulting sessions included feedback on Broun’s public appearances, media interviews and speeches.

In a statement, Broun said he does not believe he violated campaign law.

“I am fully cooperating with the House Ethics Committee and will continue to do so throughout their review. I am confident that I acted in compliance with all House rules, and I look forward to a favorable resolution of this matter,” Broun said.

Broun lost his Senate primary in May. He is not seeking reelection to the House and will step down at the end of the year.

The House Ethics Committee on Sept. 15 said it was reviewing ethics allegations against Broun, but did not make the specific charges public until Wednesday.

“The Committee notes that the mere fact of conducting further review of a referral, and any mandatory disclosure of such further review, does not itself indicate  that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the Committee,” the leaders of the ethics panel said in a statement.

The OCE was created by Democrats after they won the House in 2006, and has the power to refer ethics allegations to Congress for further investigation.

— This story was updated at 3 p.m.