March 29, 2010 - OCE Referral Regarding Former Rep. Deal

OCE Referral Regarding Former Rep. Deal (PDF 7.5MB)

On February 5, 2010 transmitted a referral to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the United States House of Representatives regarding Representative Nathan Deal.

Nature of Review

Representative Nathan Deal and his business partner own Recovery Services Inc. a/k/a Gainesville Salvage & Disposal ("GSD"), located in Gainesville, Georgia. GSD is a regional vehicle salvage station that was formerly authorized by the state of Georgia to facilitate inspections of damaged vehicles before they were sold or driven. In 2008 and in 2009, Representative Deal and a member of his Congressional staff contacted and met with Georgia state officials related to contemplated state action on the vehicle inspection program.

Further, on his 2009 Financial Disclosure Statement (covering calendar year 2008), Representative Deal listed unearned GSD "Dividends" income (unearned "Partnership Income" on an amended form) from $50,001 to $100,000. His 2008 tax return disclosed $75,000 in earned wages from GSD.

Representative Deal's conduct may have violated House Rules and House Standards of Conduct.

OCE Recommendation

The Board of the OCE recommended that the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct further review the above allegations.

Committee Action

The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct made no public statement regarding this matter. On March 21, 2010, Representative Deal resigned from the House.

Public Disclosure

On March 26, 2010, the Board of the Office of Congressional Ethics voted unanimously to release the OCE’s report and findings concerning former Representative Nathan Deal.  The Board acted pursuant to House Resolution 895 of the 110^th Congress § 1(f)(1)(B) (2008), which provides that the Board may release “any communication” pursuant to its rules or as “necessary to conduct official business.”