Watchdog Cites Ryan for Campaign Events at Capitol
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-13 Niles, and 12 other members of Congress are named in a newly released report by a watchdog group (CLICK HERE) that claims they used campaign funds to pay for meals in the members’ dining room that essentially were campaign-related events.
The report, posted by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), found Ryan and his campaign were the second-highest spenders in the private dining room for campaign-related events: $800 over the last two congressional election cycles.
Ryan disclosed the spending on his Federal Election Commission reports.
House rules bar members from using Capitol Hill rooms or offices for campaign-related business.
The watchdog group says its report raises “questions about whether or not members violated House rules, but more importantly, they highlight how little oversight there is of campaign spending.”
CREW began its investigation following a determination last year by the Office of Congressional Ethics that “then-Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, had illegally held campaign events on House property.”
This morning’s edition of the Cleveland Plain Dealer quotes Ryan’s spokesman, Pat Lowry, as saying no rules were broken.
"While no campaign business is allowed, the House Ethics Manual clearly states that 'campaign funds may also be used to pay meal expenses when a Member has a social meal with constituents (other than personal friends or relatives of the Member) who are visiting Washington,' " Lowry told the Plain Dealer (READ STORY).
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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