The head of the House Republicans’ campaign committee is facing an ethics complaint over allegations that he used footage of official congressional proceedings to target vulnerable Democrats with just over two months before the midterm elections.
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, was named in a complaint filed Friday with the Office of Congressional Conduct, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
Brian Lemek, executive director of the anti-corruption organization Defend the Vote, filed the complaint, accusing the NRCC of violating House rules by publishing images of Democratic lawmakers captured during floor proceedings and committee meetings.
House ethics rules prohibit lawmakers from using recordings of official proceedings for campaign purposes - even if the footage was obtained from a third party, such as a news organization, according to the Post.
The material reportedly included still images of Reps. Frank Mrvan (D-IN) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY) taken from C-SPAN’s coverage of the State of the Union. The NRCC also published images showing Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), and Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) during committee meetings or on the House floor, according to the complaint.
All five Democrats are locked in some of the country’s most closely watched House races. The NRCC declined to comment on the new development.
Members of Congress must maintain a strict separation between their official taxpayer-funded work and political campaigns, according to the Post
“They are barred from using any official House resources, including free mailing services or official social media accounts, for campaign purposes,” the outlet added.
