Jan 12, 2025 Story by: Publisher
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Ethics Committee has concluded its investigation into Georgia Representative Sanford Bishop, announcing on Monday that it found no evidence of intentional misuse of campaign funds.
Rep. Bishop, a Democrat from Albany, was one of four lawmakers whose campaign expenditures were reviewed by the Ethics Committee. All four were exonerated of any wrongdoing. However, each received written guidance outlining the proper methods for documenting and using campaign funds, along with a reminder to separate campaign expenditures from those incurred in their roles as members of Congress.
“The Committee has contacted relevant members to provide them with a copy of the updated guidance, as well as specific findings and recommendations with respect to that member’s campaign activity,” the Ethics Committee stated. “The Committee will take no further action in those matters and will consider them closed.”
Rep. Bishop’s office expressed relief at the resolution of the matter, which had been ongoing since 2019.
“He cooperated fully with the Ethics Committee and worked to be proactive, cooperative, and forthright,” his office said in a statement. “Even before the investigation began, he was already in the process of implementing a series of corrective measures. He ordered an audit of his campaign’s spending and repaid tens of thousands of dollars in disputed expenses with personal funds.”
The statement also noted that Bishop had hired a new campaign treasurer and engaged an external compliance firm to prepare expenditure reports. The congressman acknowledged his own shortcomings in oversight.
“If he had provided better oversight on these matters, he likely could have avoided the lapses that caused this investigation,” the statement added. “Still, he is pleased to see that the Committee’s statement acknowledges that there was no evidence that he intentionally misused campaign funds for his personal benefit.”
The Ethics Committee publicly disclosed in June 2020 that it needed additional time to complete its review of Bishop’s case, marking the first formal acknowledgment of the investigation.
In August 2020, the committee released a report citing examples of campaign funds being used for memberships, green fees, and meals at exclusive golf clubs, as well as gas expenses for vehicles used by Bishop and his wife. The review also examined Bishop’s use of a taxpayer-funded account for staff holiday parties.
The investigation sought to determine whether these expenditures violated congressional rules or federal laws, which require campaign spending to have a legitimate political purpose.
After months of silence, the committee announced on Monday that the case was closed, with no further action required.
Rep. Bishop is set to be sworn in for his 17th term in Congress on Friday.
The guidance materials issued by the Ethics Committee, which appear to have been influenced by Bishop’s case, clarify that campaign funds cannot be used to maintain memberships at country clubs or recreational facilities, even if access is solely for campaign fundraising purposes. However, hosting fundraisers at such locations or paying dues to organizations with political interests remains permissible. Source: GazetteXtra
