House Democrat faces ethics complaint for social media use.

EXCLUSIVE: Freshman House Democrat Under Investigation for Improper Twitter Usage

A freshman House Democrat is facing potential legal consequences for his “improper” use of Twitter, according to a right-leaning ethics watchdog group.

The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) is calling on the Office of Congressional Ethics to immediately investigate Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-IL) for potentially misusing official resources for political purposes. The group obtained a Wednesday ethics complaint, which accuses Sorensen of using his congressional office and the House floor to post content on his campaign’s Twitter account.

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“The legal violations related to Rep. Sorensen’s case are obvious and inexcusable,” stated FACT Executive Director Kendra Arnold. “Taxpayer-funded resources should never be abused for personal benefit, and we find it concerning when they are.”

Sorensen, a former weatherman who was elected in 2022, has linked his campaign Twitter account to his official social media account. The watchdog group noted that Sorensen’s campaign account currently has a pinned tweet directing followers to “all of his official accounts” for social media.

The complaint highlights several Twitter posts from Sorensen’s campaign account that allegedly utilize official resources. One post from May 25 shows the House floor with the caption, “It’s not even 11 o’clock on Thursday morning and every Republican left the House and went home.”

FACT also included an April 27 tweet from the same account that reads, “Know what I love about the science committee? We use data and value to come to conclusions, not partisan politics.”

According to federal rules, members of Congress are prohibited from using official resources for political or campaign purposes, as appropriations should only be applied to their intended objects unless otherwise specified by law.

In June, FACT filed a complaint against Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) for using his campaign Twitter account to post a video of a congressional hearing where he criticized Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). Swalwell’s tweet has since been deleted.

Sorensen’s office has not responded to requests for comment.

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“The House ethics rules are in place to protect the time, resources, and integrity of elected officials,” added Arnold. “This type of behavior undermines public trust and gives the impression that members are using their office for personal political gain. We urge the OCE to take swift action.”

The Office of Congressional Ethics declined to comment on the matter. The board of the OCE will ultimately decide whether to launch an investigation based on the complaints received.

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