It can be tough for a freshman member of Congress to navigate Capitol Hill. It will be even tougher for Representative-elect Ross Spano, who will be sworn in today under a cloud of corruption so large that both Republicans and Democrats are calling for an investigation.
As such, the DCCC is offering some friendly advice to Spano: skip the dinner parties and receiving lines, and instead familiarize yourself with the places you’ll likely be spending most of your time, such as…
- The Office of Congressional Ethics – 425 3rd St, SW, Suite 1110, Washington, DC 20024
- The House Committee on Ethics – 1015 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
- The Federal Election Commission – 1050 First St, NE, Washington, DC 20463
- The Federal Bureau of Investigations – 935 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington DC 20535
“We take orientating new members of Congress seriously, which is why we’re helping Representative-elect Spano get in touch with the various organizations that will most likely be investigating his blatant campaign finance violations,” said DCCC Spokesman Evan Lukaske. “These investigators will discover quickly what Floridians unfortunately learned too late—Spano’s complete lack of an ethical code or moral compass disqualifies him from serving in Congress.”
In December, Spano admitted to potentially breaking federal campaign finance laws by funneling nearly $180,000 in improper contributions into his campaign. Two friends loaned money to Spano, who in turn loaned it to his campaign – an apparent violation of campaign finance law. Disturbingly, even after the illegal donations came to light, Spano was using one of the contributors to interview potential staff for his Congressional office.
An election law attorney concluded that “[Spano]—and the two contributors—have serious criminal exposure.”
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