The congressional ethics office must “immediately investigate” a Democratic candidate for allegedly violating federal law for not reporting his role with a venture fund he created, a federal watchdog said in a complaint obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Greg Landsman, a councilman in Cincinnati, is running to represent Ohio’s 1st Congressional District in November. Landsman is listed as a “senior advisor” to Every Child Capital on the Cincinnati government website — a venture education philanthropy fund he created, which was not disclosed in his April financial disclosure to Congress.
“When one seeks an elected position, they have an affirmative duty to understand the laws and ensure they are in full compliance,” Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a group probing ethics that filed the complaint Wednesday, told the DCNF. “There is no excuse for failing to mention a position within an organization.”
It is unclear if Landsman is still an advisor to the group. Candidates and members are required to disclose positions held at any time during the past two years up to the filing date, according to the Committee on Ethics, even if they no longer maintain those positions. (EXCLUSIVE: Watchdog Demands Senate Ethics Probe Democrat’s ‘Clear Violation’ Of Stock Filing Law After DCNF Investigation)
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Landsman first filed his disclosure on April 4. He amended it on April 13 but still did not include his position of “senior advisor” for the organization, FACT said.
The watchdog is asking the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) to probe Landsman’s “apparent inaccurate disclosure” and also impose relevant sanctions not limited to penalties and fines.
“The position of ‘senior advisor’ is the type of position that must be reported and the actual title of the position is irrelevant,” FACT said in its complaint. “This statement was required to cover the current calendar year plus the prior two years, which would have included any positions he held from 2020 to the date of filing, including his ‘senior advisor’ position.”
“Moreover, the lack of any consequence for those who break this law leads to the public perception that the laws do not apply equally to all,” the group also said. “The Committee must act to ensure compliance with the most basic ethics requirements and to maintain the public’s trust.”
Landsman’s campaign did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment, nor did Every Child Capital. OCE also did not respond to a request for comment.
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