Evidence Suggests Rep. Shalala Continues to Ignore House Ethics Rules and Federal Law
Washington, D.C.— October 15, 2020— Today, the non-partisan ethics watchdog, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), filed a complaint requesting the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) investigate Representative Donna Shalala (D- FL) for failing to disclose financial transactions as required by law, the second discovered violation in the past year.
Federal law and House Ethics rules require Members to disclose financial information to the public, including a Member’s assets, debts, income, and periodic reports of financial transactions that exceed $1,000.
However, recent reporting shows that, for a second time, Rep. Shalala failed to disclose multiple stock transactions. This occurrence involved two stock sales that happened on April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020, which went unreported until July 21, 2020 – nearly a year after the first sale and three months after the second sale – well past the 45-day deadline for reporting. The prior occurrence involved numerous transactions that were discovered earlier this year, for which Shalala was fined.
“The law requires our elected officials disclose basic financial information to ensure our government is ethical and transparent. This is the second time in the past year that Rep. Shalala has failed to file what is required of all House Members. She clearly understands the law, but has twice now put herself above it. A second violation is especially egregious. The OCE must investigate and impose the proper consequences to ensure the integrity of our government," said Kendra Arnold, Executive Director of FACT.
FACT is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting accountability, ethics, and transparency in government and civic arenas. For more on FACT, visit: http://www.factdc.org/
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