FACT Calls for Investigation into Sen. Warnock for Failing to Disclose Free Housing on Financial Disclosures

Sen. Raphael Warnock Appears to Live in a Million-Dollar Mansion for Free and Did Not Disclose Any Information About His Housing on His Financial Disclosures

Washington, D.C.— April 21, 2025 — Today, the non-partisan ethics watchdog, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), filed a complaint requesting the Senate Select Committee on Ethics investigate Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia. The Senator appears to have violated Senate Ethics Rules by accepting “lavish” housing and did not report it on his financial disclosures.

Since 2005, Senator Warnock has served as a Senior Pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church and continued to do so in some capacity after his election to the U.S. Senate in 2021. When he was initially elected, Sen. Warnock disclosed that he received a $7,400 monthly housing allowance from his church. The stipend amounted to nearly $90,000 in annual income, which appeared to far exceed his housing costs and was exempt from income taxes.

Then, in October 2022, Ebenezer Baptist Church purchased a “luxury” home in Georga for $989,000, which was described as a lavish five-bedroom home, with “a plethora of luxury accommodations, including a 100-bottle wine fridge, a Bluetooth-enabled stainless steel cooking range, custom crown molding, and a walk-in closet affixed to a ‘stunning’ European bathroom with a remote-controlled privacy curtain." Shortly after it was purchased, Sen. Warnock moved into it for free (and also sold the home he previously owned in Georgia and purchased a home in Washington D.C.). Since moving into the luxury home, Sen. Warnock has not included any information about being provided housing on his financial disclosures. In addition to the un-disclosed housing, he has reported receiving an annual income from the church just under the maximum outside earned income limit, for instance $31,815.12 in 2023.

Senate Ethics Rules states the Senate “may discipline a Member for any misconduct, including conduct or activity which does not directly relate to official duties, when such conduct unfavorably reflects on the institution as a whole.” One theme throughout federal law and Senate Ethics rules is that Members may not generally accept anything of value unless an identified exception applies, and if they do accept something it must be disclosed to the public. These laws address both conflicts of interest and corruption of Members of Congress. Sen. Warnock’s acceptance of lavish housing and failure to disclose it implicates federal law and several Senate rules.

“There are tax laws and ethics rules which allow for a Senator to accept reasonable lodging or housing, but they are only applicable in a narrow set of circumstances—they are not an open-ended loophole that can be abused. Among other factors, it's critical that the value of the housing provided be commensurate to the work done—and then the value be disclosed. It's difficult to fathom any citizen could look at this situation (a U.S. Senator that is a part-time employee of an organization, which pays him a salary and then happens to buy him a million-dollar house to live in for free after he was elected to Congress) and not think something potentially wrong is afoot. Given the combination of the known facts here, the timeline in which they occurred, and the various governing ethics rules, a closer look is clearly warranted. This is why the Senate Ethics Committee exists and we hope they act promptly,” said Kendra Arnold, Executive Director of FACT.

A full copy of the complaint can be found HERE.

FACT is a nonprofit organization promoting accountability, ethics, and transparency in government and civic arenas. For more on FACT, visit: http://www.factdc.org/

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