The House Ethics Committee said it is gathering facts in a review of potential campaign finance violations by Michigan Democrat Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
Federal Election Commission filings show that after Tlaib’s election in 2018, to her first term, she paid herself a total of $17,500 from her campaign chest. Although congressional candidates can pay themselves during their election cycle, they are restricted from drawing a salary after they are elected.
In a statement Thursday, the ethics committee’s members said the review is not the same as an investigation of Tlaib, 43, who represents a Detroit district.
“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 committee said in the statement.
The ethics panel, chaired by Florida Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch, first received the referral about Tlaib on Aug. 16 from the Office of Congressional Ethics, which conducts initial inquiries into ethics questions about members. Deutch and the committee’s top Republican member, Rep. Kenny Marchant of Texas, decided on Sept. 30 to extend its review of the matter in the coming months.
