Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton’s 2012 campaign website appears to violate a new House Ethics Committee rule that bars members from promoting their official internet sites.
A new committee rule established March 9 requires that any link on the a House member’s campaign site to an official site such as a lawmaker’s Facebook, Twitter or YouTube account must be accompanied with a special note. It reads: “Thank you for visiting my campaign (Web site/Twitter page/Facebook page). If your intention was to visit my official House of Representatives (Web site/Twitter page/Facebook page), please click here. [The ‘click here’ would be hyperlinked to the appropriate web site.’]”
The committee’s goal is to reduce voter and constituent confusion and to draw a clear line between campaign and official social media.
Norton’s campaign website, nortonforcongress.org, however only includes clickable logos of her official Facebook, Twitter and YouTube sites, minus the required notice. The links are to her official social media sites. She does not, however, provide a direct link from her campaign website to her House website, a strict no-no.
Her office didn’t comment. The new Ethics Committee memo does not state a penalty for violating the new rule.
