The Senate Ethics Committee publicly rebuked Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), finding that the billionaire MAGA lawmaker violated federal law and Senate rules by failing to file his annual financial disclosure on time.
Washington Sun politics reporter Reese Gorman called it a “rare” letter of admonition in a post on X.
“It is the first time since the passage of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 that the committee has found a senator in violation of federal law for failure to report their finances by the legal deadline,” the outlet reported.
“Your actions failed to uphold that standard, resulting in harm to the public trust and confidence in the United States Senate and a violation of federal law,” committee Chair James Lankford (R-OK) and Vice Chair Chris Coons (D-DE) wrote in the Nov. 10 letter.
Justice received two extensions that pushed his deadline from May 15 to Aug. 13. His filing assistant acknowledged six reminders from the committee and told the panel less than 30 minutes before the deadline that Justice did not intend to file, the letter said.
He submitted the report Sept. 8, after missing a second deadline the committee set for the overdue filing.
The senators acknowledged that Justice’s accountant and filing assistant had experienced “a significant family hardship,” but said that “does not abrogate your personal responsibility as a U.S. Senator to comply with governing federal law.”
The Sun described the letter as a “public scolding” but reported that it carries no formal punishment. Justice’s office did not immediately respond to the outlet’s request for comment.
News: The Senate issued a rare “letter of admonition” against Sen. Jim Justice for being the first Senator in 47 years to “failing to file a timely annual financial disclosure report.”https://t.co/uA1SZVeFMZ https://t.co/SJpnANKP5c
— Reese Gorman (@reesejgorman) November 13, 2026