The non-partisan Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) yesterday asked the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate 6th District U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Ga., for improperly soliciting and accepting free congressional office space from the city of Brookhaven. The complaint: U.S. House ethics rules prohibit members from soliciting “anything of value.”
A full copy of the complaint can be read here.
Upon assuming office after defeating GOP incumbent Karen Handel, the Democrat allegedly “approached” Brookhaven for temporary congressional district office space. According to a Brookhaven spokesman, “to the best of my knowledge, we’re not charging her or her office anything.” FACT says that while Brookhaven acknowledged that the free rent was given to hopefully establish a good relationship with the newly-elected McBath, these actions clearly ran afoul of strict House ethics rules.
According to the House Ethics Manual, members of Congress cannot solicit “anything of value,” including office space. According to published reports, “the community center’s published rates are $35 per hour for residents and $70 per hour for non-residents.” The complaint further notes that while members can accept free office space from a federal, state or local government agency if offered, “a permissible gift becomes impermissible if solicited.”
“Solicitation bans exist to prevent potential conflicts of interest from arising between elected officials and outside groups or entities and maintain citizens’ confidence in an impartial government,” said FACT Executive Director Kendra Arnold in a statement. “I am pleased that public concern was raised about Congresswoman McBath’s disregard for a very simple and straightforward rule governing Member behavior.”
“Regardless of whether the free rent was given for a few hours, days or weeks, just the appearance of impropriety that these kinds of actions can create is what contributes to the erosion of the public’s trust in government and government officials. For this reason, we are asking for an immediate investigation into this matter,” Arnold said.
