OCE Referral Regarding Rep. Chris Jacobs
On February 28, 2022, the Office of Congressional Ethics transmitted a referral to the Committee on Ethics of the United States House of Representatives regarding Rep. Chris Jacobs.
Nature of the Review
Rep. Jacobs may have failed to file timely Periodic Transaction Reports (“PTRs”) for various reportable transactions.
If Rep. Jacobs failed to file PTRs for reportable transactions, then he may have violated House rules, standards of conduct, and federal law.
OCE Recommendation
The Board referred the above allegation concerning Rep. Jacobs to the Committee as unresolved because of a tie vote.
Committee Action
On May 31, 2022, the Committee on Ethics released a statement indicating it would continue to gather information necessary to complete its review. The Committee published the OCE report and announced the allegations would be further reviewed pursuant to Committee Rule 18(a).
On July 29, 2022, the Committee on Ethics released a statement announcing the Committee unanimously voted to dismiss the referral regarding Reps. Thomas Suozzi, Chris Jacobs, and Pat Fallon. The Committee concluded that there was no clear evidence that the errors and omissions in the Members' PTRs were knowing or willful and that the Members were generally unclear on the requirements relating to PTR filings. Additionally, the Committee stated that each Member made remedial efforts and assured they would adhere to appliciable financial disclosure requirements.