AZ Congressional Delegation

UPDATE: The Ghost of Holiday Bonuses Past: FEC Follows-Up On Rep Gosar ‘s Questionable Staff Bonuses

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Two weeks ago, we reported that $44,000 of holiday bonuses that Rep. Paul Gosar paid to his Congressional staff could ruin his year. Today, the Federal Election Commission (“FEC”) sent a letter to the Congressman’s committee, asking for more information on those – and, other – “incorrectly reported disbursements.”

The article noted that paying the bonuses to his Congressional staff from his campaign committee COULD be within the rules of both the House Ethics Committee and the FEC, but that there would need to be careful documentation of the campaign work done in order to justify the bonuses. Arizona’s Politics spoke with ethics experts who pointed out the possible legal and ethical issues for the Congressman.

(Read: Rep. Gosar Pays $44k To Congressional Staff For “Campaign Bonuses”; May Have Violated Ethics Rules and/or Campaign Finance Laws)

Although we would not yet know if the House Ethics Committee read the article, received a complaint, or is looking into any possible violations, we now know that the FEC has taken notice. A senior campaign finance analyst sent two letters on June 7 to the Gosar campaign seeking additional information.

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Where do Republicans find these People?

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Over the last year, scandals have engulfed two Republican State Legislators (Don Shooter and David Stringer) resulting in their being forced from office. Over the last several months, other Republican lawmakers, at the state and federal levels, have encountered controversy that merit placement in the Political Hall of Shame. First, there is Congressional District Four … Read more

Congress finally passes federal disaster relief bill, without AZ Republicans (Updated)

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The federal disaster relief bill was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate last month, but was blocked three times by individual House Republicans last week when the bill was scheduled for a vote in the House on the consent calendar — these Republicans objected to unanimous consent — during the congressional recess. On Monday, Congress returned from … Read more

The People of Congressional District Four can do better than Paul Gosar

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Despite a video ad during the 2018 elections that showed his family (including siblings) endorsing his Democratic opponent (David Brill), Paul Gosar easily won re-election to serve in Arizona’s Congressional Fourth District. How has Representative Gosar repaid the trust of the close to 70 percent of the people who voted for him in November 2018? … Read more