Texas Democrat May Have Broken Law, Ethics Rules, House Panel Says

U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso. (File)

WASHINGTON (November 28, 2012)— An independent House panel says there is substantial reason to believe that U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, violated ethics rules and federal law by conducting campaign meetings on House property and using campaign money to pay expenses for his daughter's residence.

The Office of Congressional Ethics report was sent to the member-run House Ethics Committee, which released the findings Wednesday and said it was continuing its own investigation of the eight-term Democrat.

The independent panel's report said Reyes refused to cooperate and recommended the ethics committee subpoena him.

The report said Reyes' 2011 disclosure forms showed he used $469 in campaign funds for five campaign meetings in the members' dining room.

The report said that from 2008 to 2012, Reyes' campaign committee paid approximately $13,000 in expenses for his daughter's Washington residence.

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