Evidence Shows O’Halleran used official taxpayer-funded resources for political purposes
Washington, D.C.— March 12, 2021— The non-partisan ethics watchdog, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OFC) to immediately investigate Representative Tom O’Halleran for violating House ethics rules that forbid Members from using official taxpayer-funded resources for political purposes.
According to FACT, the Tom O’Halleran campaign website includes multiple direct links to his congressional office website, committee websites, and official YouTube accounts. For example, an issue subpage on O’Halleran’s campaign website links directly to the House Energy and Commerce Committee website. There are multiple instances in which O’Halleran’s campaign links to taxpayer-funded websites. House ethics rules clearly require strict separation between campaign and official acts, and a Member is prohibited from using official resources for any campaign or political purpose. For this specific situation, the House Ethics Manual states that Member campaign websites may not include a link to official websites, such as a Member's House website.
“This is a straightforward violation--this rule in particular is very specific and clearly forbids Members from linking campaign websites and official House websites. While the rule is simple, it has the important purpose of protecting taxpayer funds and guarding against the common perception that a member of Congress’ first priority is running for reelection. With the given material and examples, I encourage the Office of Congressional Ethics to hold O’Halleran accountable for breaking one of the most basic ethic rules," said Kendra Arnold, Executive Director of FACT.
A full copy of the complaint can be found by clicking here.
FACT is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting accountability, ethics, and transparency in government and civic arenas. For more on FACT, visit: www.factdc.org
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