OCE Referral Regarding Rep. Marlin Stutzman
OCE Referral Regarding Rep. Marlin Stutzman Exhibits 1 of 2
OCE Referral Regarding Rep. Marlin Stutzman Exhibits 2 of 2
On August 31, 2016, the Office of Congressional Ethics transmitted a referral to the Committee on Ethics of the United States House of Representatives regarding Rep. Marlin Stutzman.
Nature of the Review
In August 2015, Representative Marlin Stutzman, his wife, and his two children traveled to Los Angeles, California, for a five-and-a-half day trip. Representative Stutzman used funds from his Senate campaign committee to pay for the family’s airfare and rental vehicle. While in California, Representative Stutzman had three campaign meetings over a two-day period; he and his family also engaged in a number of personal activities, including a visit to Universal Studios and tours of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and the Reagan Ranch. If Representative Stutzman used campaign funds to pay for a personal family trip, then he may have violated federal law and House rules prohibiting the use of campaign funds for personal purposes.
OCE Recommendation
The Board recommended that the Committee on Ethics further review the allegation that Representative Stutzman used campaign funds for personal purposes, as there is substantial reason to believe that campaign funds were used to pay for a personal family trip to California.
Committee Action
On November 29, 2016, 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 findings and announced the allegations would be further reviewed pursuant to Committee Rule 18(a).