Dem Retweets of Political Advertisements Violated House Ethics Rules, Complaint Says

Rep. Danny Davis shared political messages on official Twitter account

Matthew Foldi • August 16, 2021 2:35 pm

A House Democrat violated ethics rules that prevent members of Congress from sharing political advertisements and fundraisers on their taxpayer-funded social media accounts, according to an ethics watchdog.

Rep. Danny Davis (D., Ill.), a longtime supporter of the anti-Semitic Rev. Louis Farrakhan, shared multiple political ads on his official Twitter account, which the Foundation For Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) calls “contrary to a fair and impartial democracy.”

“On several occasions, Davis has used his official Twitter account for political purposes, sharing political messages and ads with fundraising links,” the group wrote in its letter to the House Ethics Committee, obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

FACT’s complaint includes three retweets from Davis that it claims violate House ethics policies: an announcement video from Kentucky Senate candidate Charles Booker; a post supporting a Democrat running for governor of Arkansas; and a fundraising video for the liberal activist group MeidasTouch.

Republicans in Illinois expressed no surprise at Davis’s “lack of ethics.”

“An Illinois Democrat flaunting ethics rules? That’s the least surprising thing I’ve heard all week,” Joe Hackler, the Illinois Republican Party’s communications director, told the Free Beacon. “Lack of ethics is a defining characteristic of Democrats in this state.”

Kendra Arnold, FACT’s executive director, criticized the congressman for violating one of the most basic ethics rules.

“At times, ethical rules that members of Congress have to follow are somewhat complicated—this is not one of those times,” Arnold said. “A member simply cannot share any campaign or political-related messages on their official, taxpayer-provided social media accounts. In this case, Rep. Davis has done just that and I encourage the [Office of Congressional Ethics] to immediately investigate and apply the appropriate sanctions.”