The board of the Office of Congressional Ethics announced Thursday that it found allegations that Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) used campaign funds to enrich herself were credible enough to warrant a deeper investigation.
The ethics panel’s report said there is “substantial reason to believe that Rep. Tlaib converted campaign funds from Rashida Tlaib for Congress to personal use.”
Tlaib received two potentially illegal payments from the campaign after the last general election, according to the report. A salary payment of $2,000 occurred on Nov. 16, 2018, and another payment of $15,500 occurred on Dec. 1.
FEC records, first covered by the Washington Free Beacon, showed that Tlaib paid herself a total of $28,000 in payments from the campaign between May 6 and Nov. 6. The Dec. 1 payment of $15,500 marked a significant increase over what she paid herself during the campaign.
Payment for work during the campaign is legally permitted, but payment for work afterwards would violate the law. Emails indicate that Tlaib was paid for work done after the campaign as the Dec. 1 check was labeled as payment for work between “Nov. 16, 2018 to December 31, 2018.” The election occurred on Nov. 6. – READ MORE