[ad_1]
The commission only issued a public warning in response to Graham’s actions, not a sanction.
According to the commission’s investigation, on November 30, Graham conducted an interview with Fox News in the Russell Senate Rotunda. The Republican senator spent four-ninths of an interview talking about his 2022 Senate runoff vote in Georgia between Senators Walker and Rafael G. Warnock (Democrat-Georgia). bottom.
Republicans saw the campaign as an opportunity to wrest Senate seats from Democrats, and Graham became one of Walker’s most fierce supporters in the Senate. But Warnock eventually defeated Walker in an increasingly purple state, giving the Democrats a narrow majority in the House.
The Senate Ethics Committee reviewed the November interview and found that Graham “directly solicited campaign donations on behalf of Mr. Walker’s campaign committee (www.teamherschel.com) on five separate occasions. ” concluded.
In the letter, Koons and Lankford admitted that Graham had self-reported his actions to them.A spokesperson for Graham did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The committee also noted that this wasn’t the first time Graham had violated a Senate rule prohibiting appeals of funding on federal property.
According to the letter, on October 14, 2020, shortly after the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Graham participated in an “unscheduled media interview” at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, during which he told the re-election campaign committee, ” solicited direct donations for the campaign,” in response to a reporter’s question about his fundraiser.
At the time, the Judiciary Committee was in the middle of confirmation hearings for current U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Graham, chairman of the committee at the time, was fending off an election challenge from Democrat Jaime Harrison. Asked by a reporter whether Connie Barrett’s hearings would affect his position in the Senate race, Graham responded by making a fundraising appeal.
“I don’t know how much it impacted fundraising today, but if you can help bridge the gap LindseyGraham.com — even a little bit,” Graham said. “I’m really happy with my campaign.”
In a letter to Graham on Thursday, Coons and Lankford explained that they had dismissed the 2020 complaint and issued an undisclosed warning to Graham instead.Otherwise Deminimis Nature. “
The Senate Ethics Committee is known for taking little public action. The last time he issued a public warning letter was in April 2018, Robert He reprimanded Senator Menendez (DN.J.) after he was declared guilty in a months-long bribery case. Did. Commission standards permit the issuance of confidential warning letters. This means that the general public is unlikely to hear about complaints resolved in this manner.
In Thursday’s letter, Koons and Lankford said Graham had broken Senate rules on fundraising for 2022, despite receiving a private warning for misconduct in an October 2020 fundraiser. pointed out.
“People must be convinced that members use public resources only for official action in the best interests of the United States, not for partisan political activities,” said Koons and Rank. Ford wrote, “Your actions have failed to uphold that standard and have resulted in a loss of public trust and confidence in the United States Senate.”
“You are advised here,” they concluded.
Despite public and private warnings, Koons and Graham remain longtime friends and frequently accompany congressional delegations on their trips abroad. Attended the Munich Security Conference in a bipartisan “Cordell” that pays tribute to former Senator John McCain (R-Arizona).
Paul Kane contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link
