Two House Republicans introduced a bill named after Rep. Ilhan Omar, which aims to prevent politicians from paying spouses with campaign funds.
“For too long, lawmakers of both political parties have engaged in the ethically dubious practice of pocketing campaign funds by ‘hiring’ their spouses and laundering the money as campaign-related expenses,” Rep. Tom Tiffany, who introduced the bill with Rep. Mike Gallagher, said in a press release.
“Loopholes that allow members of Congress to funnel campaign funds to their spouses are despicable and erode trust in our government,” Gallagher added.
The bill comes after reports in November found Omar’s campaign had paid her husband’s political consulting firm nearly $2.8 million. All in, the payments accounted for 70% of the campaign’s spending.
Omar has since announced her campaign will no longer work with her husband’s firm. Read more…
