FALLOUT: Loeffler In Hot Water After Illegal Fundraising Scandal

Loeffler’s fundraising “was illegal, plain and simple,” and has sparked multiple ethics complaints and a request for a DOJ investigation 

ATLANTA — Senator Kelly Loeffler continues to face pressure from all sides after she illegally tried to fundraise in the Senate rotunda on national television, prompting ethics complaints from multiple nonpartisan ethics organizations and a request for the Department of Justice to investigate by the Democratic Party of Georgia.

Now, Loeffler is facing yet another round of negative headlines as coverage of her scandal continues to grow:

MSNBC:

WSB:

CW69:

AJC: Ethics complaints target Loeffler after she solicited donations in US Capitol

• U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler is facing a pair of ethics complaints after she solicited campaign contributions for her runoff campaign during an on-camera interview at the U.S. Capitol.

• The Democratic Party of Georgia and the American Democracy Legal Fund both filed complaints with the Senate ethics committee focused on her Wednesday interview with Fox News, when she told the audience to visit her campaign website to “chip in $5 or $10 to get involved, volunteer.”

• State Democrats also asked the Justice Department to investigate, accusing her of “using her power as an elected official to support her own campaign” in violation of rules that prohibit members of Congress from soliciting contributions in federal buildings.

• The complaint against Loeffler from the American Democracy Legal Fund said the Republican’s violation was cut and dry. Brad Woodhouse, the group’s president, said the “fundraising solicitation from the Capitol was illegal, plain and simple.”

HuffPost: GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler Accused Of Violating Ethics Rules With Fundraising Pitch

• Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) drew backlash on Wednesday for soliciting campaign funds while speaking in the halls of Congress ― a potential violation of Senate ethics rules ― during an interview with Fox News.

• The Senate’s rules and standards of conduct for campaign activity prohibit Senate members and staff from receiving or soliciting campaign contributions in any federal building.

• The Democratic Party of Georgia announced Thursday that it’s filing a complaint against Loeffler with the Senate Ethics Committee and will request that the Justice Department investigate the matter.

Salon: Kelly Loeffler under fire for soliciting campaign cash in halls of the Senate — an apparent crime

• Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., the ultra-wealthy unelected legislator who faces a January runoff election, solicited campaign donations in the halls of Congress during a Wednesday morning Fox News appearance, in an apparent violation of both Senate ethics rules and federal law.

• Senate ethics rules bar lawmakers from asking for campaign contributions on federal property, and federal statutes make doing so a crime.

• Citing that criminal statute, the Rules and Standards of Conduct maintained by the Senate Ethics Office say “members and staff may not receive or solicit campaign contributions in any federal building.”

Newsweek: Kelly Loeffler Accused of Violating Senate Ethics Rules With Fundraising Appeal in Federal Building

• Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) has been accused of violating Senate ethics rules by soliciting donations in the U.S. Capitol building. She made the appeal for campaign contributions on Fox News.

• Loeffler was quickly accused of violating Senate ethics rules, which state: “Senate members and staff may not receive or solicit campaign contributions in any federal building.”

• The rules point to 18 U.S. Code Section 607, which makes it illegal for “an officer or employee of the federal government, including the president, vice president, and members of Congress to solicit or receive a donation of money or other thing of value in connection with a federal, state or local election, while in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties by an officer or employee of the United States, from any person.”

###