The Indiana Republican Party filed a formal ethics complaint against Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) on Monday for allegedly using taxpayer-funded resources for campaign purposes.
Two months ago, a Politico story reported that Donnelly’s Senate campaign was engaging in potentially illegal coordination with Democrat-aligned super PACs.
Kyle Hupfer, the Indiana Republican Party Chairman, said in a statement Monday, “Democrat Senator Joe Donnelly, in an ethically challenged act of desperation, directed his official taxpayer-funded staff to film his meeting with Judge Brett Kavanaugh and then to post video, with no audio, on their official YouTube page so his campaign and outside entities could use the footage.”
“Not only has he played political games by dragging his feet and taking an entire month to meet with Judge Kavanaugh but now Joe Donnelly is playing political games with the meeting itself by using official resources for campaign purposes – a clear ethical breach,” Hupfer added.
“Today, I am filing a formal complaint with the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Ethics Committee requesting they look into this matter,” the Indiana GOP chairman continued, “In the meantime, I am calling on Senator Joe Donnelly to immediately take down the footage and issue a public apology to Hoosiers for using our hard earned tax dollars for such blatant political purposes.”
Last week Breitbart News reported that Sen. Donnelly blocked the press from filming his meeting with Supreme Court Justice nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh and had his office film the meeting instead, which Indiana Senate Republican candidate Mike Braun’s campaign said could have been used for campaign ads and raises “serious ethical issues.”
Josh Kelley, Braun’s campaign spokesman, said, “Career politician Joe Donnelly blocked cameras from his meeting with Judge Kavanaugh, but that didn’t stop him from secretly filming the meeting so his buddy Chuck Schumer and other liberals could use the footage for political ads.”
Read the filing here.
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