Big Idea

• The House Committee on Ethics dismisses a claim by Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07)
• Jayapal’s claim alleged that Gosar’s objection to the seating of electors violated one or more rules of ethics
• This claim was particularly offensive considering the fact that she had made the same objection herself in 2017
• Gosar contends that taking political disagreements to reframe as ethics violations is improper, unethical and fully lacking in decorum

Ethics Complaint against Gosar easily dismissed

WASHINGTON D.C. - Representative Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S (AZ-04), issued the following statement in response to the House Committee on Ethics decision to dismiss the baseless complaint filed against him by Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07). 

“This patently baseless claim attempted to conflate political disagreements with ethics. The House Committee on Ethics should not be politicized for partisan purposes,” stated Congressman Gosar. 

Background: On March 10, 2021, in spite of evidence to the contrary, Representative Jayapal filed an ethics complaint against Congressman Gosar alleging that Congressman Gosar’s actions on January 6, 2021, particularly in objecting to the seating of electors, violated one or more rules of ethics. Indeed, Representative Jayapal ignored her own objection in 2017 to the seating of electors for President Trump in the filing of her 2021 complaint. On June 11, 2021, the House Committee on Ethics rejected the Jayapal Complaint. Congressman Gosar contended that taking political disagreements and re-framing them as ethics violations is improper, unethical and fully lacking in decorum. 

The June 11th letter from the House Committee on Ethics can be found here. Congressman Gosar’s 30 page response to the meritless complaint can be found here.