Guest post by Michael LaChance at American Lookout:
During Trump’s State of the Union address, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand used an image of herself rolling her eyes to raise money. But that’s a big no-no. Now a nonpartisan watchdog wants an ethics investigation.
Townhall reports:
Watchdog Group Wants Ethics Investigation of Gillibrand
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a non-partisan ethics watchdog group, filed a complaint with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics on Monday against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). At issue is the senator’s using “footage of herself on the House floor during the President’s State of the Union address to improperly solicit campaign donations,” the group explained in a new statement.
During Trump’s second State of the Union speech last Tuesday, Gillibrand’s Twitter account posted a message asking followers to “chip in $5 so we can put an end to this.” It included official House video footage of a joint session of the United States Congress. FACT cited federal law and Senate ethics rules that both prohibit the use of taxpayer-funded resources that cannot be used for campaign or other political purposes to include “broadcast coverage and recordings of the House floor proceedings.”
She later removed the tweet. But, as FACT notes, that doesn’t exonerate her.
“This is one of the most simple and straightforward ethics rules, and any violation is troubling because the Member has put politics above the law,” said Kendra Arnold, Executive Director, Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust.”
This could put a little damper on her presidential campaign. Oops!
