Oh, the infamous Squad!
They’re four of the most radical members of Congress and one of them has found herself in trouble with the US House Ethics Committee.
Democrat Representative Rashida Tlaib was found guilty of violating federal law and using campaign funds for personal purposes.
Business Insider reports on the breaking story:
The Democrat-controlled US House Ethics Committee wrist-slapped one of its own today, ruling that Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan used campaign money for personal purposes in violation of federal law.
Tlaib must reimburse her campaign committee $10,800 within the next year, the Ethics Committee ruled.
The congresswoman has an “obligation to act in accordance with the strict technical requirements of federal campaign laws and regulations, including the restrictions on personal use of campaign funds, the Ethics Committee ruled. But Tlaib’s violation was “one of bad timing and not ill intent” and she “engaged in good faith efforts to comply” with federal requirements, the committee wrote.
The Ethics Committee also “did not find that [Tlaib] sought to unjustly enrich herself by receiving the campaign funds at issue.”
Given this, the Ethics Committee unanimously declined to take further action against the freshman congresswoman.
Tlaib’s penalty is quite modest by congressional standards; the House reserves the right to reprimand, censure, and even remove members.
Tlaib spokesman Denzel McCampbell said the congresswoman is “pleased that the Ethics Committee has resolved this matter finding that Representative Tlaib made a good faith effort to comply with a complex regulation.”
Of course the Democrat-controlled ethics committee only gave Tlaib a slap on the wrist.
They wouldn’t dream of punishing one of their own, even if it’s a serious violation.
Take a look at what’s trending on Twitter:
Previously, CNN reported that the Squad members have had to play defense in order to secure their spots in the primaries:
A series of galvanizing victories in Democratic congressional primaries this year have progressives poised to assert their growing influence in the next Congress.
But plans for a larger and more robust "squad" hinge on securing its foundation -- and defending the seats they first won in 2018.
Over the next 10 days, Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, will be tested by challengers who have sought to turn their star power against them, arguing, in both contests, that the freshmen lawmakers have chased the national spotlight at the expense of their districts.
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who brushed aside a well-funded centrist opponent in June to cement her status in the party and on Capitol Hill, heard a similar line of attack. It didn't land. Allies of Omar and Tlaib, the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, say that their races will run a similar course, ending with decisive electoral confirmations that the Democratic Party's future, even with former Vice President Joe Biden as its presidential nominee, is being driven by a younger, more diverse and increasingly liberal voter base."There is a massive effort by Republicans and by the corporate wing of the Democratic Party to destroy the 'squad' and make it seem like they're vulnerable and out of touch," said Waleed Shahid, communications director for Justice Democrats, the group on the frontlines of the party's progressive insurgency. "But AOC was already able to show that much of that is manufactured. In terms of Rashida and Ilhan, I just think that the 'squad' represents the direction that the Democratic Party is heading."
The pressure points in Tlaib and Omar's contests are different. Omar represents Minnesota's 5th District, where George Floyd was killed by a police officer on Memorial Day. The district is a hotbed of activism and the state party's wheelhouse for driving turnout in statewide races. In Michigan, Tlaib's 13th District, which has seen its boundaries shift over the years and likely will again ahead of the 2022 midterms, has for most of the past six decades been represented by Black lawmakers with deep ties in Detroit politics.
Watch the Fox Business report on the investigation into Tlaib:
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