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The House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation into allegations that Rep. Nancy Mace improperly sought or received reimbursements tied to a congressional housing-cost program for lawmakers maintaining residences in Washington, according to a report issued by the Office of Congressional Conduct and released Monday.
The office said it has “substantial reason to believe that Rep. Mace engaged in improper reimbursement practices,” and it sent its findings to the Ethics panel for review. The probe concerns reimbursement rules for the program that helps members defray costs associated with splitting time between Washington and their home districts.
The report said Mace received reimbursement during her second term in the House, and it alleged that in 2023 and 2024 she recouped about $9,500 that was “more than the true costs” for the Washington home she shared with her then-fiancé. The office also said it “was unable to determine how or why Rep. Mace decided to seek the maximum allowable reimbursement when it exceeded her expenses incurred,” adding that Mace “refused to interview” as part of the probe.
The Office of Congressional Conduct said its evidence indicates that Mace did not take appropriate measures to ensure she sought reimbursement for expenses actually incurred. The report also said Mace’s lodging expenses “may have exceeded the maximum allowable reimbursement for some months,” while still concluding that her reimbursement decisions were not aligned with what the rules required.
Mace has denied the allegations. In describing the investigation as partisan, she also said officials “ignored” her rebuttal evidence, AP reported.
In a December letter to the committee, Mace’s attorney, William Sullivan Jr., wrote that Mace’s former fiancé had been “engaged in an ongoing campaign to discredit and injure the Congresswoman through false narratives and misuse of legal process,” and that information originating from him would raise “serious credibility concerns.” Sullivan also said the Office of Congressional Conduct declined to disclose whether the former fiancé played a role in the investigation, and he argued that the referral “appears to rely heavily on unverified materials originating from individuals with personal or adversarial motives.”
The chairman of the House Ethics Committee, GOP Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, said the referral about Mace was received in December. Guest said the committee’s decision to investigate is not evidence of wrongdoing and that the committee would not make further comment until it completes its investigation.