A watchdog group has filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics accusing Rep. Louie Gohmert of violating House ethics rules by paying for a recent overseas trip with campaign money.
In its most recent report to the Federal Election Commission, the Texas Republican’s campaign committee listed expenses related to a trip he took to England in late 2014 that included $5,451 for the five-star Andaz Liverpool Street hotel in London, $396 for the Old Bank Hotel in Oxford and $235 for a taxi ride in Cambridgeshire.
House rules prohibit lawmakers from using campaign funds to pay for expenses not related to a campaign or political purpose. Travel expenditures can be paid for with campaign funds only when the primary purpose of the trip “serves a bona fide campaign or political purpose.”
While in England, Gohmert spoke with several groups, including the Cambridge Union Society, the Rothermere American Institute, the Federalist and Henry Jackson Society, and a joint group from the U.K. House of Lords and House of Commons.
“Rep. Gohmert’s legendary tirades may put him in high demand for public speaking engagements, but that doesn’t give him license to bill a luxury London vacation to his campaign,” said Anne Weismann, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington’s interim executive director. “The congressman can’t credibly claim that speeches made to those who can’t vote for him served the purpose of getting him re-elected.”
CREW said Gohmert’s potential violations are similar to those of former Rep. Rob Andrews, D-N.J., who charged his campaign $13,000 for expenses related to a family trip to Scotland. The Democrat resigned last year before his term expired to take a job with Philadelphia law firm but said the move had nothing to do with a congressional investigation looking into the trip.
Gohmert’s office disputes CREW’s claims, saying that he was invited to participate in a series of events in England to make political speeches.
