House Ethics Committee takes up alleged violations by a Colorado Republican and Illinois Democrat


The House Ethics Committee said Monday it will review alleged violations of federal law by two members of Congress, Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) and Rep. Marie Newman (D-Ill.), sent over by the Office of Congressional Ethics. The ethics watchdog said in reports Monday it found "substantial reason believe" that Newman promised a federal job to a political rival and Lamborn misused his staff and other resources for personal purposes.
Newman, who unseated conservative Democrat Rep. Dan Lipinski in 2020, and Lamborn, an eight-term congressman, both said they would fight the ethics complaints and predicted they would be cleared by the House Ethics Committee.
The Office of Congressional Ethics said in its report that Newman made Iymen Chehade, a foreign policy adviser to her campaign, "certain promises about future employment" during the Democratic primary. Chehade later sued Newman for breach of contract, and the two settled the case and signed nondisclosure agreements.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Lamborn report is more colorful. "The OCE uncovered evidence showing a pattern and practice in Rep. Lamborn's office of official staff conducting personal and campaign-related tasks for Rep. Lamborn, his wife, and other family members during official work hours, and using official resources," the ethics watchdog wrote. Those tasks included throwing a naturalization party for Lamborn's daughter-in-law, helping his son prepare to apply for federal jobs, and running all manner of errands for the congressman's wife, Jeanie Lamborn, who sometimes slept in the office with her husband and reportedly had authority to hire and fire staffers.
The OCE also said it found "substantial reason to believe" Lamborn illegally solicited or accepted substantial gifts from his office staff, pointing to chief of staff Dale Anderson as the messenger of expectations. Anderson "instructed each office to provide gifts valued between $125 and $200 for the Lamborns," preferably "related to beer and food," the report says.
"I would tell Dale Anderson what we were getting to make sure that it was his approval and also the dollar amount was high enough, and that the congressman and Mrs. Lamborn would be okay with it," one witness told investigators.
Lamborn and some current staffers told the OCE that staff members volunteered for these assignments. Two former staffers disputed that assertion. "We had one party, [a] naturalization party," one former staffer said. "The day of, I was like, how am I going to get compensated for this? And, again, Dale Anderson just laughed."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Fed chair Powell in Trump's firing line
Speed Read The president considers removing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
-
Trump trashes supporters over Epstein files
speed read The president lashed out on social media following criticism of his administration's Jeffrey Epstein investigation
-
Judge nixes wiping medical debt from credit checks
Speed Read Medical debt can now be included in credit reports
-
Grijalva wins Democratic special primary for Arizona
Speed Read She will go up against Republican nominee Daniel Butierez to fill the US House seat her father held until his death earlier this year
-
US inflation jumps as Trump tariffs 'bite'
Speed Read Consumer prices are climbing and the inflation rate rose to its highest level in four months
-
'No one should be surprised by this cynical strategy'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
SCOTUS greenlights mass DOE firings
Speed Read The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to further shrink the Education Department
-
Cuomo announces third-party run for NYC mayor
Speed Read He will go up against progressive Democratic powerhouse Zohran Mamdani and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams