House panel tosses complaint against Luján
The House Ethics Committee has closed an investigation into U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján after a conservative watchdog group accused him of breaking congressional rules during a sit-in at the Capitol last year.
Luján, the five-term congressman from Nambé, was among several Democrats who joined the protest on the House floor in June 2016 demanding the chamber’s Republican leadership put gun control legislation to a vote.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics, charging that emails about the sit-in sent by Luján’s re-election campaign to supporters showed Luján was effectively fundraising while on the job.
The House Ethics Committee announced Tuesday that it voted unanimously to dismiss the matter.
A report by the committee said Luján’s campaign indeed used the stunt as an opportunity to solicit donations from
his backers. But while House rules prohibit members from using the chamber, committee rooms and offices for campaign purposes, the report said evidence does not prove Luján was personally involved in putting together the emails while at the Capitol.
The committee decided, however, that one of the campaign emails broke House rules by including an image of the chamber during the sit-in, apparently taken from a television broadcast of the proceedings.
A House rule prohibits members from using the official House broadcast for political purposes. But the committee described the email as an “inadvertent, technical violation” of the rules.
“Following its review, the committee concluded that the evidence is insufficient to warrant further action against Representative Luján,” the committee wrote in a final report.
Joe Shoemaker, the congressman’s communications director, said in a statement that the complaint was “politically motivated” and “without merit.” He said, “Congressman Luján is committed to abiding by House Rules and will continue to do so in the future.”
The foundation, through its public relations firm, declined to comment.