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MAGA Rep. Alex Mooney Accused of Making Staff Drive Hundreds of Miles to Walk His Dog


As a member of Congress, it’s usually not a good sign when a formal ethics report is published about you with an entire section devoted to “family dog ​​duties.”

But that is the situation of Representative Alex Mooney (R-WV), a Donald Trump’s top ally in Parliament.

On Monday, the Office of Congressional Ethics released a lengthy report that found “substantial reason” to believe Mooney committed a number of ethics violations while in office — potentially even violating federal law.

Among other things, Mooney may have “accepted a free or less market value trip to Aruba,” used tax dollars for non-approved purposes and employed employees for public purposes. campaign work and “personal errands,” according to OCE. On top of that, he may have “hidden, concealed, or falsified” information provided to ethics officials during the investigation. “

Some evidence is contained in 54 pages long reportinformed through interviews with nine current and former Mooney staffers, paints an astonishing picture of congressmen’s apparent willingness to use taxpayer-funded resources for himself and for the benefit of his family.

Congress’s codes of ethics make it clear that employees may not perform anything other than “official, lawful activity” for legislators while on the job — and the authorities even do not. recommends that lawmakers reimburse the U.S. Treasury Department for any personal duties performed by employees.

But some Mooney employees say they have to do a lot of the basic and complicated work for the family instead of — or in addition to — their official duties, which include babysitting Mooney, sending them to school, providing care. their dogs, and carrying congressmen long distances for personal reasons.

One former employee said they drove Mooney more than 250 miles in one afternoon, taking him from Washington to Richmond, Virginia, for his son’s basketball game, then back to West Virginia. Another employee drove from their home in northern Virginia to Charles Township, West Virginia, to walk the Mooneys’ dog, Skipper, while the family was away.

Legislators and staff must also adhere to strict rules that separate official taxpayer-funded administrative duties from their campaigning and re-election. The report details how Mooney employees plan fundraisers and other campaign events during official business hours.

With the release of the OCE report, the House Ethics Committee will review Mooney’s conduct and consider whether it merits formal punishment.

OCE even hit Mooney, who has long faced accusations that he is not a true West Virginian. OCE notes that Mooney’s employees worked to activate his wife’s inactive medical license in Maryland in West Virginia.

“Because Representative Mooney is not from West Virginia and did not live in the state prior to running for the 2014 congressional seat,” the OCE report said, “Dr. licensed to practice medicine in the state.”

Fortunately for Mooney, however, his messy and costly match against Congressman David McKinley (R-WV) was in the rearview mirror. On May 3, Mooney defeated McKinley by more than 20 points, and is expected to run for re-election in a crowded Republican district.

Mooney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The OCE report also states that he did not cooperate with the office’s investigation.



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