The House Ethics Committee is demanding Rep. Rashida Tlaib pay back $10,800 to her campaign for taking a salary in violation of federal election laws, but finds no “ill intent.”
The committee released a report on their investigation into the Michigan Democrat Friday, saying they concluded the salary Ms. Tlaib received from her campaign after the 2018 election was improper.
However, they noted that Ms. Tlaib took a lower salary during the campaign, which led them to believe the violation wasn’t an attempt to “unjustly enrich herself.”
“Representative Tlaib’s violation of the applicable restrictions was one of bad timing and not ill intent,” the report read. “Representative Tlaib engaged in good faith efforts to comply with the relevant FECA requirements.”
Ms. Tlaib has a year to pay back the money.
“Rep. Tlaib hopes the Federal Election Commission will issue updated guidance clarifying the regulations regarding candidate salaries to allow more working-class candidates to run for Congress,” the congresswoman said in a statement to her local Detroit News.
The report comes just two days after Ms. Tlaib won her primary challenge against Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones.
