The House Ethics Committee has cleared Rep. Lori Trahan following an investigation into allegations against the Massachusetts Democrat over possible campaign finance violations.
According to a report released Dec. 17, 2019 by the Board of the Office of Congressional Ethics, Trahan may have accepted impermissible campaign contributions and then improperly reported them.
She was also accused of noting in Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports that her personal loans were sourced from personal funds, which would make the sum comply with federal law. However, the $300,000 was sourced from her husband, making the contributions exceed federal contribution limits, the report suggests.
Lawyers representing Trahan had argued that the funds were her personal funds because the couple signed a premarital agreement under which Trahan and her husband have equal rights to the management of all marital property. The committee appeared to agree with this notion in its ruling this week.
Following the release of the committee’s report, Trahan, who beat Dan Koh of Andover in a 10-way Democratic primary race by 0.1 percent following a recount, said she welcomed the ruling.
“Serving the people of the Third Congressional District continues to be the greatest honor of my life, and I will continue to focus on addressing the needs of the people I represent,” she added.
The Ethics Committee said that under Massachusetts law, the funds coming from Trahan’s husband’s account “satisfied the definition of a candidate’s personal funds under FECA.”
“As such, the loans Representative Trahan made using Mr. Trahan’s salary and income were her personal funds and not excessive contributions from Mr.Trahan,” they wrote.