Ethics Watchdog Calls for Investigation into Sen. Booker for Linking Senate Floor Speech to Request for Campaign Contributions

Ethics Rules Forbidding Tying Official Action to Campaign Activity and Evidence Shows Campaign Purpose of Sen. Booker's Speech

Washington, D.C.— April 8th — Today, the non-partisan ethics watchdog, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), filed a complaint requesting the Senate Select Committee on Ethics investigate and take appropriate enforcement actions on Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey. The Senator appears to have violated Senate Ethics Rules by directly linking official actions with solicitations for campaign contributions. 

On March 31, 2025, Sen. Booker began a 25-hour speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Before his speech began, he alerted followers on his campaign X account that he was “headed to the Senate floor” and urged them to tune in. Both during and after his floor speech, he sent several email and text messages (outlined in the complaint) that campaigned and fundraised off his speech. In those campaign communications about his speech, he requested recipients sign up for his campaign list, included links to his campaign shop, and requested campaign contributions.

Senate Ethics Rules do not allow Senators to directly link official action to solicitations for campaign contributions. It is clear Sen. Booker’s speech had a clear campaign purpose. Not only did he send out a series of campaign emails alerting recipients to the speech, but he also directly tied his speech to email and text campaign solicitations. The Senate Ethics Rules are clear that “every Senator always must endeavor to avoid the appearance that the Senator, the Senate, or governmental process may be influenced by campaign contributions[.]”

“The ethics rules draw a clear line between official government business and campaign activity, and it is important these rules are enforced to prevent Congress from simply becoming a venue for campaigning. Specifically with respect to fundraising, it is not allowed to be tied to any official action a Senator undertakes, including a speech on the Senate floor. Doing so gives the unmistakable impression that their official actions can be influenced by campaign contributions, something the Rules clearly prohibit. Simply put, the Senate Ethics Rules do not allow what is clearly performance art on the Senate floor for future political gain, whether that be for list-building or fundraising. I hope the Senate Ethics Committee will take action on this case and others like it to discourage other Senators from fundraising off official actions and to maintain citizen's confidence in Congress,” said Kendra Arnold, Executive Director of FACT.

A full copy of the complaint can be found here.  

FACT is a nonprofit organization promoting accountability, ethics, and transparency in government and civic arenas. For more on FACT, visit: http://www.factdc.org/   

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