House ethics panel reviews 2 GOP lawmakers’ campaign payments to private social clubs

By STEPHEN GROVES
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Ethics Committee is reviewing accusations that two Republican congressmen from Texas violated ethics rules by using campaign funds to pay membership dues at private social clubs. The bipartisan panel released findings that Rep. Ronny Jackson’s campaign committee had paid over $6,800 in membership dues to The Amarillo Club, a fine dining club and gym in downtown Amarillo. And the ethics committee also released a report on a separate probe that found Rep. Wesley Hunt’s campaign had paid over $5,400 in dues to The Oak Room, a private dining club in Houston. The Ethics Committee said it will dig further into the payments, but that does not mean there are proven violations of ethics rules.