WASHINGTON — A Georgia congressman has been accused of violating federal law by the Congressional Ethics Office.
It all started with an exclusive Channel 2 Action News investigation earlier this year into Rep. Paul Broun.
Channel 2's Justin Gray broke the story in March about Broun spending tax dollars on a campaign debate coach.
At that time, Broun's office maintained the money spent was a legitimate and legal office expense.
In a report released Tuesday, the Board of Congressional Ethics, in a 6-0 decision, said the congressman's actions likely violated House rules and federal law.
It was a memorable moment last spring when Broun shut a door on Gray as he was asking questions about Broun spending taxpayer money on a debate coach.
The questions behind the confrontation with Broun led to a three-month investigation into Broun by the Office of Congressional Ethics.
Channel 2 Action News was first to report that Broun spent nearly $44,000 of taxpayer money on O'Donnell and Associates, a company that specializes in campaign debate coaching.
Now the Board of Congressional Ethics says in its report that there's substantial reason to believe that the spending is "in violation of House rules and federal law."
"What is important here is that Paul Broun violated the law," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, D.C.
The 46-page report quotes internal Broun office emails and interviews with staff members to provide pages and pages of evidence they say proves O'Donnell and Associates was doing work for Broun's recent failed Senate campaign -- paid for with taxpayer dollars.
Broun, who is retiring from the House, told the committee that O'Donnell was volunteering.
"They're putting it out now and congressman Broun is going to be out of office at the end of December, so really nothing's going to happen to him," Sloan said.
In a statement, Broun told Gray he's confident he acted in compliance with House rules.
But in a unanimous 6-0 decision, the independent nonpartisan ethics board disagreed.
The board referred this matter on to the ethics committee, made up of House members.
But with Broun's term over in December, there's a very real possibility he'll avoid any disciplinary action.
WSBTV
