OCE Referral Regarding Mr. Sean O'Brien (PDF 42MB)
On June 13, 2013, the Office of Congressional Ethics transmitted a referral to the Committee on Ethics of the United States House of Representatives regarding Mr. Sean O'Brien.
Nature of Review
Sean O'Brien accepted travel expenses for a trip to Turkey in August 2008 that the American-Turkish Coalition and the Turkish Coalition of America (“TCA”) co-sponsored. TCA retained a lobbyist. The pre-travel disclosure form that the co-sponsors filed with the House of Representatives certified that TCA did not retain a lobbyist. Mr. O'Brien relied on the co-sponsors’ certification that TCA did not retain a lobbyist and received the travel expenses.
If Mr. O'Brien received travel expenses for a multiple-day trip from an entity that retained a lobbyist, he may have violated House rules.
OCE Recommendation
The Board of the Office of Congressional Ethics recommended that the Committee on Ethics further review the allegation above because there is a substantial reason to believe that although Mr. O'Brien did not knowingly accept, he nevertheless received, an impermissible gift proscribed by House rules.
Committee Action
On July 26, 2013, the Committee on Ethics referenced this matter and made no additional statement.
Public Disclosure
Pursuant to section 1(f)(1)(B) of H. Res. 895, on August 23, 2013, the Board of the Office of Congressional Ethics voted unanimously to release the OCE’s report and findings concerning former House employee Mr. Sean O’Brien, as the Board determined that release was mandated by the Resolution and House rules.
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