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The Office of Congressional Conduct, after an investigation,
said it believes that “there is substantial reason to believe
that Rep. Mace engaged in improper reimbursement practices,"
according to a report released Monday. The office sent its
findings to the Ethics panel for review.
Mace took part in a program that helps members of Congress
defray the costs of their bifurcated existences between
Washington and their home districts, subsidizing food, travel
and lodging expenses. During 2023 and 2024, her second term in
office, the report alleges Mace recouped about $9,500, “more
than the true costs" for the Washington home she shared with her
then-fiancé.
Noting that Mace "refused to interview" as part of its probe,
the office said it “was unable to determine how or why Rep. Mace
decided to seek the maximum allowable reimbursement when it
exceeded her expenses incurred.”
Allowing that “Mace’s lodging expenses may have exceeded the
maximum allowable reimbursement for some months,” the report
said that its available evidence “suggests Rep. Mace did not
take appropriate measures to ensure she sought reimbursement for
expenses actually incurred.”
In a December letter filed with the committee, an attorney for
Mace wrote that the congresswoman's former fiancé, with whom she
ended her relationship in late 2023, had been "engaged in an
ongoing campaign to discredit and injure the Congresswoman
through false narratives and misuse of legal process, and that
any information originating from them would raise serious
credibility concerns."
Despite that, attorney William Sullivan Jr. said the office
declined to disclose if the former fiancé had been involved with
the investigation. He said the referral to Ethics “appears to
rely heavily on unverified materials originating from
individuals with personal or adversarial motives.”
GOP Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, chairman of the Ethics
Committee, said the referral about Mace was received in
December. The committee's decision to investigate is not
evidence of wrongdoing, and Guest pointed out that the committee
wouldn't make further comment until it completes an
investigation.
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