Watchdog wants Nancy Mace punished for cash grab on Capitol Hill

Watchdog group Campaign for Accountability has filed a complaint against Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) with the House Ethics Committee, accusing her of misconduct for soliciting campaign donations from the Capitol grounds.

Mace, one of eight House Republicans who voted to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as House Speaker this week, told Fox Business' Neil Cavuto in an interview on Wednesday that she was fundraising off of the vote “because the establishment is coming after me for taking a principled stand.”

She asked viewers to donate to her campaign three times. She gave the interview from inside the Capitol Rotunda.

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This is a violation of House rules, which prohibit “the solicitation or receipt of campaign contributions in federal offices, including the House office buildings and district offices, in connection with a federal, state, or local election," Campaign for Accountability said.

"Additionally, a federal law prohibits any government employee, members of Congress included, from asking for or receiving election contributions “while in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties.”

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“Rep. Mace appears to have broken federal law and House rules so brazenly as to defy explanation," said CfA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith. "The Office of Congressional Ethics should take immediate action to hold her accountable.”

Mace blindsided many of her Republican colleagues by voting with a group of mostly far-right Republicans to oust the speaker. She has argued that McCarthy failed to keep some of his legislative promises to her, which McCarthy has denied.