FACT Releases Top Ethics Violators of 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. --- December 15, 2025 --- Today, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) released its annual list of the Top Ethics Violators of 2025, highlighting public officials whose actions raised serious ethical concerns and undermined public trust.

Americans expect integrity and accountability from their public officials yet the cases on this year’s list show the opposite. These ethics breaches span multiple oversight areas, including the Office of Special Counsel, the Federal Election Commission, and the Office of Congressional Conduct. From misuse of public funds to conflicts of interest and violations of campaign or nonprofit rules, these top violators repeatedly put their own interests ahead of the people they were elected to serve. Their actions undermine public trust in government and highlight the urgent need for stronger enforcement of ethical standards.

FACT’s Top Ethics Violators of 2025:

1. U.S. Representative Sheila Cherfilus‑McCormick of Florida:

In early 2025, FACT filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Conduct alerting it to the fact that Rep. Cherfilus‑McCormick’s family‑owned company received a $5.8 million overpayment from the State of Florida for services that were never performed. Despite clear repayment obligations, the funds were retained. Concurrently, financial disclosure records and campaign‑finance filings raised red flags: income from related entities surged and a large loan was made to her prior congressional campaign, yet these changes did not align with reported personal assets. Based on these discrepancies, FACT referred her case to the U.S. Department of Justice. Later in the year, she was federally indicted, confirming the gravity of the alleged misconduct. This is among the most significant ethics breaches FACT has documented in 2025, involving misuse of public funds, opaque financial maneuvering, and campaign‑finance irregularities.

2. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser:

In 2023, Bowser accepted a trip to Doha, Qatar paid for by a foreign government along with other travel and gifts from private or foreign sources. FACT’s 2025 complaint detailed how Bowser’s office initially mischaracterized the funding source of the Doha trip, and how subsequent travel (including additional hotels, flights, and hospitality) lacked documented public purpose or transparent disclosure. Amid public scrutiny, it was reported that federal prosecutors opened a preliminary investigation into the Qatar‑funded trip. The very fact of the investigation underscores serious ethical concerns about acceptance of foreign‑funded gifts, potential influence, and misuse of public office for private benefit.

3. Nonprofits Tied to Former Gubernatorial Candidate Stacey Abrams of Georgia:

Throughout 2025, FACT filed multiple complaints against nonprofits tied to Stacey Abrams including the New Georgia Project and Fair Fight Action on the grounds of alleged misuse of their tax‑exempt status and financial mismanagement. FACT’s documentation argues that the organizations engaged in campaign‑like activity and political advocacy without appropriate disclosure, fund allocation, or transparency required by nonprofit law. Ultimately, the New Georgia Project shut down; a closure FACT cites as validation of the serious financial concerns raised in its filings. The case underscores how tax‑exempt organizations can be used to blur the lines between charitable purpose and political activism, threatening accountability and undermining trust in political nonprofits.

4. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island:

FACT’s 2025 complaint calls attention to financial support provided by donors with interests before the Senate to a nonprofit run by Senator Whitehouse’s spouse. The concern is that these contributions came from parties potentially impacted by legislation or oversight, constituting a serious conflict of interest, especially if Whitehouse’s official actions or influence played any role in directing the funding. By highlighting the financial connection between public office, family‑affiliated nonprofit funding, and outside interests, FACT emphasizes how personal and public roles must remain strictly separated to maintain integrity and public confidence.

FACT’s Dishonorable Mentions of 2025:

Former Governor & New York City Mayoral Candidate Andrew Cuomo of New York:

In 2025, during his campaign for New York City Mayor, Cuomo submitted financial‑disclosure filings that FACT concluded were incomplete and misleading. The gaps and omissions hindered the public’s ability to assess conflicts of interest or financial entanglements that could influence his candidacy or future policymaking. The complaint demands a full probe into the adequacy and accuracy of his disclosures.

U.S. Representative & Senate Candidate Jasmine Crockett of Texas:

FACT’s complaint against Rep. Crockett emphasizes her failure to properly report certain financial interests in her required disclosure statements. These omissions raise serious concerns about compliance with congressional ethics rules and prevent competent evaluation of potential conflicts of interest threatening public trust in elected officials’ financial disclosures.