WASHINGTON – U.S. Reps. Ronny Jackson of Amarillo and Wesley Hunt of Houston are facing scrutiny over whether spending campaign money at private clubs is appropriate, the House Ethics Committee disclosed Monday.
At issue are payments by their campaigns to private facilities in their hometowns.
The Office of Congressional Ethics forwarded reports to the committee suggesting the payments could violate rules against using campaign dollars for personal benefit.
“Federal Election Commission … regulations prohibit campaign committees from using campaign funds to secure unlimited access to country clubs, health clubs, recreational facilities, and other non-political organizations,” according to OCE reports released Monday.
The Ethics Committee could decide to dismiss the referrals or investigate further.
Jackson and Hunt say the spending in question was for legitimate campaign expenses and that they have done nothing wrong.
The allegations against Jackson date to December 2021, when OCE urged the committee to investigate his campaign spending at a private nonprofit dining club housed on the top two floors of the FirstBank Southwest Tower in Amarillo.
The Amarillo Club was established in 1947 and is “a place of romantic evenings, life event celebrations, business meetings, special receptions and much more,” according to its website. The club says it has a yoga space, gym, meeting rooms and reciprocal privileges with more than 300 other private clubs across the country.
OCE cited payments to the club marked as “Membership Food/Beverage,” “Dues” and “Membership Fees” and said it could not determine how much Jackson and his wife use the club’s amenities or its reciprocal benefits.
Between October 2020 and January 2024, the Jackson campaign spent $11,928 at the club for dues, fees, meals and other services, according to OCE.
The latest referral included a recommendation that the committee issue subpoenas to Jackson and the Amarillo Club.
Jackson spokesperson Kate Lair said in a statement the “baseless complaint from OCE raises no new information” and highlighted that the original referral is still being reviewed by the committee after two years.
“Once again, Congressman Jackson has nothing to hide, and he and his team have fully complied with the Ethics Committee since the beginning. This is sadly not the first time the leftists at OCE have decided to waste taxpayer dollars going after public servants for absolutely nothing,” Lair said.
The report on Hunt cited his campaign spending at the Oak Room, described by OCE as a private social club with a large bar and sitting area on the 25th floor of the Post Oak Hotel in Houston. Membership benefits include discounts for rooms at the hotel, free valet parking and invitations to social events with celebrities, according to the report.
FEC filings indicate the campaign paid Hunt’s club membership fees of $2,706 a year and spent tens of thousands additionally on facility rental and catering at the hotel.
The referral suggested the committee issue subpoenas to Hunt, his wife and two of his aides.
In response to the report, Hunt’s attorneys described the Oak Club as a “hotel program” that grants members access to a private penthouse space.
They said Hunt does not maintain a campaign office and it’s cheaper, and more appropriate, to pay the membership fee and use the hotel space for campaign events as needed. They said Hunt has used the membership exclusively for meetings with campaign donors, supporters, consultants and vendors.
They also said nearly $48,000 spent at the hotel around Nov. 7, 2022 , which OCE cited, represented the cost of Hunt’s campaign victory party.
“Needless to say, the costs of an election night party are legitimate campaign expenses,” the lawyers said. “OCE’s willful blindness to the evidence regarding these particular expenses is indicative of the undisciplined approach it has taken throughout this matter.”