OCE Referral Regarding Rep. Steve Stockman
On March 13, 2014, the Office of Congressional Ethics transmitted a referral to the Committee on Ethics of the United States House of Representatives regarding Rep. Steve Stockman.
Nature of Review
In February 2013, Representative Steve Stockman accepted contributions to his congressional campaign committee, Friends of Congressman Steve Stockman, from two employees of his congressional office. Representative Stockman’s congressional campaign committee subsequently filed Federal Election Commission (“FEC”) reports identifying the contributions made by his congressional employees as having been made by family members of the employees.
In addition, Representative Stockman may have retained these two individuals as full-time employees in his congressional office during a period when those employees were only performing official duties on a part-time basis, and therefore not performing official duties commensurate with the compensation they received.
If Representative Stockman conspired to accept contributions to his congressional campaign committee from individuals who were employed by his congressional office, then he may have violated federal law and House rules.
If Representative Stockman made false statements and endeavored to impede the Office of Congressional Ethics (“OCE”) inquiry when he filed Payroll Authorization Forms with the House Office of Payroll and Benefits in December 2013, purporting to document the termination of Mr. Posey and Mr. Dodd from his congressional staff on February 12, 2013, and their re-hiring on February 13, 2013, then he may have violated federal law and House rules.
If Representative Stockman’s campaign committee filed FEC reports falsely identifying the contributions made by his congressional employees as having been made by family members of the employees, then he may have violated federal law and House rules.
If Representative Stockman compensated individuals as full-time employees in his congressional office when those individuals were performing official duties only on a part-time basis, then he may have violated House rules.
OCE Recommendation
The Board recommends that the Committee on Ethics further review the allegation concerning Representative Stockman’s acceptance of campaign contributions from his congressional employees, as there is substantial reason to believe that Representative Stockman accepted contributions from individuals who were employed by his congressional office at the time the contributions were made, in violation of federal law and House Rules.
The Board of the OCE recommended that the Committee on Ethics further review the allegation concerning Representative Stockman’s submission of Payroll Authorization Forms, as there is substantial reason to believe that Representative Stockman made false statements and endeavored to impede the OCE inquiry when he filed those forms with the House Office of Payroll and Benefits in December 2013, purporting to document the termination of Mr. Posey and Mr. Dodd from his congressional staff on February 12, 2013, and their re-hiring on February 13, 2013, in violation of federal law and House rules.
The Board of the OCE recommended that the Committee on Ethics further review the allegation concerning the reporting to the FEC of the contributions made by Representative Stockman’s congressional employees, as there is substantial reason to believe that Representative Stockman failed to take reasonable steps to ensure that those contributions were properly reported on his campaign’s FEC reports, in violation of federal law and House rules.
The Board of the OCE recommended that the Committee on Ethics further review the allegation concerning the compensation of individuals employed in Representative Stockman’s congressional office, as there is substantial reason to believe that Representative Stockman compensated the congressional office employees on a full-time basis during a period when they were only performing official duties on a part-time basis, in violation of House rules.
Committee Conclusion
On June 11, 2014, the Committee on Ethics released a statement indicating that it would continue to gather information necessary to complete its review. The Committee published the OCE report and findings and announced the allegations would be further reviewed pursuant to Committee Rule 18(a).