Arizona republican Congressman David Schweikert was fined $50,000 by the House Ethics Committee today, and will be formally reprimanded on the House floor, for the misuse of taxpayer funds and other charges, Roll Call reports.
The five-term representative was cited for misuse taxpayer money, skirting Federal Election Commission reporting requirements, using campaign money for personal use and pressuring his staff to engage in campaign work. Schweikert must repay the Treasury by October 30th.
An investigation from the independent Office of Congressional Ethics sent the recommendation to the Committee after finding Schweikert flouted the laws since he first came into office in 2011.
Schweikert approved his staff’s use of the Members’ Representational Allowance (MRA) to attend the Super Bowl and a PGA Tour event held in Arizona. The MRA is money set aside to run Congressional offices through staff salaries or the purchase of equipment like computers.
Schweikert also signed off on reimbursing more than $16,000 spent by his former Congressional chief of staff, Oliver Schwab, for personal outlays used for Schweikert’s reelection campaigns. Members of Schweikert’s congressional staff were also pressured to work on the campaign, the investigation found.