Staff Reports
After agreeing to hold a fundraiser alongside two lobbyists related to an effort to replace Dan Snyder as president of the Washington Commanders, a prominent Democrat in the House is now facing an inquiry into possible violations of ethics. The American Accountability Foundation asserts that Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois may have violated House ethics rules when he attended a fundraiser hosted by a lobbying duo. Tom Manatos was the administrator of a website that featured content that was critical of Snyder.
On Friday, the organization sent a statement to the House Ethics Committee, demanding that the committee conduct an investigation into the behavior of the lawmaker. The Committee believes that Krishnamoorthi may have violated the ethical standards of the House of Representatives as well as federal bribery statutes.
Previously, Krishnamoorthi was in charge of the investigation that the House Committee on Oversight and Reform conducted into Snyder and the Commanders. Accepting gifts or campaign financing connected to government business is prohibited by the House of Representatives' ethics guidelines. According to Mike Manatos, the team's findings on Snyder were presented to Krishnamoorthi during the event that raised money for the team.
The role that Krishnamoorthi played in the fundraiser continues to be a source of worry.
Two employees of the Strathdee Group are listed as RSVPs on an invitation that was attached to Manatos' email. According to the data kept by the FEC, Krishnamoorthi pays a monthly fee of $5,000 for fundraising consultation. According to the American Accountability Foundation, there should be an investigation into the conflict of interest.
Jones stated that the language in the invitation that links a fundraiser to Rep. Krishnamoorthi's role in the inquiry of the team is proof of a corrupt quid pro quo to cause damage to the team as well as its leadership. "The language in the invitation links a fundraiser to Rep. Krishnamoorthi's role in the investigation of the team," said Jones. Rep. Krishnamoorthi exposed his feeling of guilt and brought attention to the law violations he committed in both the House of Representatives and the federal government by postponing the event.
In the fall of 2017, Democrats in the House began their inquiry into the Commanders and Snyder after the NFL refused to release a formal report regarding its workplace probe. As a direct result of that, the Democrats in the House have obtained hundreds of records from both the league and the franchise.
Snyder is also being investigated for inappropriate touching after a former coworker said that the defendant inappropriately rubbed her thigh at a company event. Snyder has denied the charges, and a second investigation is being conducted by the NFL. This week, Snyder testified in front of the Oversight Committee for a total of 11 hours.
