The House Ethics Committee found the outgoing rep. madison cawthorn “improperly promoted” a cryptocurrency in which he had a financial interest in violation of the House's conflict of interest rules, according to an 81-page report published Tuesday in the North Carolina Republican.
The panel members were unable to "reach a consensus" on whether Cawthorn intended to personally benefit from the cryptocurrency promotion, but ordered him to pay nearly $15,000, the approximate value of the gift he received, to an "appropriate charitable organization." ". the report said.
In response to separate allegations, House Ethics concluded that it found no evidence that Cawthorn, who lost in a primary earlier this yearhe had entered into an inappropriate relationship with a member of his staff in Congress.
Those allegations came to light, according to the report, “after the release of photographs and videos showing the two engaging in explicit and sexually suggestive behavior and comments. Both denied having any romantic or sexual relationship. Cawthorn also had not violated House rules or laws relating to nepotism, "as the staffer was not a first cousin."
The cryptocurrency accusations came from the Cawthorn promotion of a "Let's Go Brandon" coin. The Ethics panel noted that he had failed to disclose his purchase or sale of the cryptocurrency in a timely manner: “After publicly reporting Representative Cawthorn's involvement with LGB Coin, he filed Overdue Periodic Transaction Reports disclosing his purchase and sale of LGB Coin ".
