EXCLUSIVE — A conservative watchdog group is calling on the Senate Ethics Committee immediately to “open an investigation” into Democratic senators accepting campaign donations from a top Biden nominee, according to a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner.
Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), John Fetterman (D-PA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Michael Bennet (D-CO) took hundreds of dollars in campaign money during the midterm elections from Gigi Sohn, who President Joe Biden tapped in January to serve on the Federal Communications Commission. Now, the American Accountability Foundation is demanding that the Ethics Committee take action to ensure the public that there is no “quid pro quo” in connection to Sohn’s nomination.
SENATE DEMOCRATS PRESSED TO RECUSE FROM VOTE ON BIDEN NOMINEE WHO FUNDED THEIR CAMPAIGNS
“An investigation, and appropriate sanction, is required because the Senators accepted campaign contributions from Ms. Gigi Sohn, a pending nominee for the Federal Communications Commission, on whom they will have to vote,” Tom Jones, president of the foundation, wrote in a Monday letter to committee Chairman Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) and Vice Chairman Sen. James Lankford (R-OK). “Their acceptance of campaign contributions casts doubts on the impartiality of their actions and brings discredit and dishonor on the body.”
The letter comes after the foundation called on the four Democratic senators on Feb. 8 to recuse themselves from voting on Sohn’s nomination. Sohn, who was first tapped in 2021 and has faced hurdles clearing Congress, sat for a hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee last week.
During the 2022 election cycle, Sohn donated $550 to Warnock’s campaign and cut $100 checks each to the campaigns for Cortez Masto and Fetterman, according to Federal Election Commission filings. She also donated $200 to Bennett’s campaign and $2,900 between April and October 2020 to Biden’s campaign, filings show.
“We believe recusal would have provided clear reassurance to the American people that their vote was not for sale and that decisions were made in the Senate without regard to whether a nominee donates to a Senator’s campaign,” the letter continued. “Unfortunately, the Senators have provided no indication that they will recuse themselves from this important vote. Without those reassurances, we are left in the unenviable position of requesting that the Committee investigate their conduct.”
Sohn has continued to face scrutiny from Republicans over her campaign donations. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) grilled Sohn in a recent Senate Commerce Committee hearing. However, Sohn noted that the contributions were “relatively small” and the action of “a citizen who just wanted to participate in the Democratic process.”
.@SenTedCruz grills FCC nominee Gigi Sohn for cutting checks to sitting Senate Democrats during her pending nomination. pic.twitter.com/jLvlEiWpwt
— Senate Commerce Republicans (@SenateCommerce) February 14, 2023
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“We urge you to move swiftly to reassure the American people that decisions in the Senate are based on merit and not on who contributes to a campaign by conducting a thorough investigation and imposing the appropriate sanction,” wrote Jones to the committee. “The Senate Select Committee plays a vital role in protecting the public’s confidence in the institution and assuring the American people that there is no quid pro quo at play in Senate votes is crucial to protecting that confidence. We appreciate your prompt attention to this issue.”
The Ethics Committee did not reply to a request for comment.
