Two Republican lawmakers from Texas are facing campaign finance probes over their alleged use of funds to pay for private club memberships.
U.S. Reps. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, and Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, are under scrutiny by the House Ethics Committee, which announced separate investigations into the two congressmen in May. This week, more details emerged about the allegations.
“Jackson has spent $12,000 since 2020 on membership in the Amarillo Club,” said Matthew Watkins, managing editor for news and politics at The Texas Tribune. “Hunt spent $74,000 from April 2022 to January 2024 at the Post Oak Hotel, which includes the [Oak Room club]. You’re not supposed to do that unless you’re only using the campaign expenses for campaigns – not for, you know, lifestyle expenses.”
Hunt’s lawyers said in a letter to the Office of Congressional Ethics that club membership was used exclusively for campaign events such as meetings with donors, supporters and consultants. A spokesperson for Jackson also called the complaints against Jackson “baseless.”
“Both deny doing anything wrong, but they are under investigation,” Watkins said. “And what exactly that money was used for at those clubs remains under review.”
Hear more stories from the week in Texas politics in the audio player above.
