Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) may have committed a "possible House rules violation" when she called for an investigation into protests against electric car manufacturer Tesla.
Forbes reports that Greene's call for the FBI and the Department of Justice to investigate the protests may run afoul of House ethics rules because she owns shares in the company.
As Forbes documents, Greene last year went on a "buying spree" of Tesla stock by making purchases totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars after Musk jumped in to help fund President Donald Trump's election campaign.
What's more, five of Greene's stock purchases came after Trump appointed Musk to run the Department of Government Efficiency, "the most recent of which was $1,000 to $15,000 worth of shares on March 7," writes Forbes.
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The publication then directly quotes from House ethics rules that state members "may not receive compensation and may not permit compensation to accrue to the beneficial interest of such individual from any source, the receipt of which would occur by virtue of influence improperly exerted from the position of such individual in Congress."
In other words, if Greene's actions spurred the FBI to investigate the protests and if cracking down on those protests boosted Tesla's share prices, Greene would be using her position to accrue material benefit for herself as a Tesla shareholder.
Brett Kappel, an attorney specializing in campaign finance, said that Greene's call to investigate Tesla "could raise a serious ethics issue" for her.
"House ethics rules prohibit a member from taking any official action that would benefit her own financial interest," he reiterated.