House candidate and former Representative appears to accurately disclose specific details in his 2024 financial disclosure report right before an election
Washington, D.C. --- October 7, 2024 --- Today, the non-partisan ethics watchdog the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), filed a complaint requesting the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) investigate former Congressman and current congressional candidate Mondaire Jones of New York to determine whether he violated federal law and House ethics rules by failing to disclose sources of income and positions held in his 2024 financial disclosure filing.
Federal law and House ethics rules require House candidates and Members to publicly disclose their financial information to the public. The disclosure requirements are an integral part of an ethical and transparent government, and accurate and timely filing is the only method for citizens to determine whether Members have conflicts of interest or are wrongfully profiting from their position. Under the public disclosure requirements, a Member must file an annual financial disclosure report that provides a “full and complete” statement of their assets, debts, and income, as well as positions held with organizations.
Former Rep. Jones established his candidacy on July 5, 2023, after which he was required to file a financial disclosure report within 30 days and another closer to the election in May 2024. He did file the two required reports, but based upon information he provided in his 2023 filing, Jones did not include his relationship with the following organizations in his 2024 report:
Cable News Network (CNN)
Future Forward USA Action
Demand Justice
The Nation
Jones’s failure to disclose this information on his 2024 filing leaves the organizations’ names totally absent from the report (with the exception of Future Forward USA Action which appears under the assets section). Much of the omitted information was related to political organizations or organizations that held positions with which voters may disagree.
“It is imperative financial disclosures represent the facts, not what the candidate wants the public to know—they are not political documents. As a former House Member, Mr. Jones should be well-aware of the laws, but unfortunately the discrepancies between his own reports appear to show that, coincidentally, in an election year he failed to disclose his relationships with multiple political or partisan organizations. While this alone raises questions of whether this was an intentional political calculation, the notion is strengthened by the fact that he was alerted to the omissions by the media on three occasions and has yet to correct his filings. Any ethics violation is problematic, but violations committed for advantage in electoral politics should have an increased sting to the American people. The financial disclosure laws are of utmost importance and cannot be manipulated or disregarded for political gain. This is a clear situation where the Ethics Committee should investigate,” said Kendra Arnold, Executive Director of FACT.
A full copy of FACT’s 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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