U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls Investigated House Ethics Panel: What Does the Investigation Say?

The independent office that analyzes claims against House members determined reasonable cause that Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas diverted campaign funds to personal use, initiating an investigation by the House Ethics Committee, according to a new declaration released Friday.

U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls Investigated: 

The recommendation and the full report from the Office of Congressional Ethics were released on Friday, as law requires. The House Ethics Committee leaders highlighted that the disclosure is not a violation and that the inquiry into Nehls is ongoing. Nehls’ lawyer told the committee that the legislator did not profit from the agreement, which had raised concerns with the ethics office.

Nehls, a Republican congressman in his second term, served as a county sheriff for eight years. He is an ardent Trump fan who wore a T-shirt featuring Trump’s mugshot to this year’s State of the Union address. In December, the Office of Congressional Ethics recommended the committee probe with a 6-0 vote. The office wanted to see if Nehls’ campaign paid a corporation registered to the congressman for reasons other than legal campaign ones.

What does the Investigation Say?

According to the ethics office, Nehls’ campaign committee has paid more than $25,000 in rental payments to a corporation called Liberty 1776, LLC since late 2019, and an examination of state records shows that he was the company’s registered agent.

According to the report, campaigns cannot spend money for “personal use,” including purchasing or leasing services from members. The agency stated that Nehls refused to participate in its inquiry. As a result, no witnesses could certify that the contributions made to Liberty 1776 were for lawful campaign purposes. According to the investigation, Nehls failed to disclose any Liberty 1776-related money on his financial disclosure forms required of members and candidates.

An attorney for Nehls contested his lack of cooperation with the Office of Congressional Ethics. Instead, lawyers objected to unclear requests for information. He further stated that the Office of Congressional Ethics did not react to clarify the probe’s scope.