CORRUPT: Rep. John Duarte Backs Legislation That Would’ve Protected Himself

A new report highlights newly elected Rep. John Duarte’s early signs of corruption, just one month into serving in Congress.

In 2013, John Duarte knowingly destroyed wetlands, “even though Duarte’s own environmental consultant had warned him that he would be subject to significant penalties for ripping without a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers.” After a years-long court battle, Duarte was fined and agreed to pay $1.1 million for plowing federally protected wetlands and streams.

Now that he is in Congress, John Duarte is pushing self-serving legislation, acting as an original co-sponsor on a GOP bill that would have potentially protected him from the lawsuit. John Duarte’s connection to this legislation sparked his own GOP colleagues to use him as an example, even though they knowingly left out that Duarte is now a sitting Member of Congress.

DCCC spokesperson Tommy Garcia:
“John Duarte knowingly broke the law, destroyed wetlands, and then went to Congress to pass legislation that would protect lawbreakers like him. The Central Valley deserves a leader who will work for them and their environment, not a self-serving politician, like John Duarte, who is in it for himself.”

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