January 1, Watchdog Group Files Ethics Complaint Against Congresswoman for Alleged Abuse of Government Resources

Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar is in hot water yet again. The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a government watchdog group, has filed a complaint against her for allegedly abusing government resources. According to FACT, Rep. Omar has used her TikTok account for both official House and political purposes, violating House rules and misusing official resources.

TikTok, a popular video-sharing app, has faced scrutiny from critics who allege that its parent company, the Beijing-based ByteDance, is a spy app that could be used by the Chinese government for data operations. In fact, the House of Representatives has already banned its use on official devices, citing security risks.

Despite this, Rep. Omar has a TikTok account that she has allegedly used for overtly political posts, including videos urging viewers to support Democrat candidates, a message to Democrats volunteering for campaigns, and several videos of her campaigning and attending campaign events.

Ilhan Omar hit with ethics … by JoeSchoffstall

In the complaint, FACT points out that Rep. Omar has also used official government resources in her TikTok posts. For example, she has posted C-SPAN footage from the House floor and what appears to be a cell phone video recorded on the House floor, both of which are clear violations of the prohibition of filming in government offices for campaign or political purposes.

Additionally, Omar posted a video of her speaking at a campaign event with accompanying text that reads, “A message to every Democrat around Minnesota out knocking doors and making phone calls today: you are the reason we are going to win on Tuesday. Thank you.”

Congressional members are prohibited from using official resources for campaign purposes. Lawmakers are also not allowed to use campaign funds for official purposes. However, FACT alleges that Rep. Omar has violated both these prohibitions by using her official social media account for both political and official purposes, which constitutes an abuse of government resources.

These violations, according to FACT, are an abuse of official resources and violate ethics rules intended to protect taxpayer-funded resources from abuse and the integrity of official proceedings. Kendra Arnold, FACT’s executive director, said, “The law is abundantly clear, and her account and the content posted speak for themselves. These rules are to protect the time, resources and integrity of official proceedings for those in elected office.”

Rep. Omar’s office has not yet responded to the complaint filed against her. But it’s clear that she has violated House rules and misused official resources, putting her at risk of further investigations and consequences. The American people deserve elected officials who follow the rules and respect taxpayer-funded resources. It’s time for Rep. Omar to be held accountable for her actions.

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Source: Fox News