Marlin Stutzman

In 2015, Marlin Stutzman faced an ethics investigation regarding a six-day trip to California with his family. The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) concluded there was substantial reason to believe that Stutzman used campaign funds to pay for personal expenses, including airfare and vehicle rentals, in violation of House rules and federal law. Stutzman maintained the trip was for campaign and fundraising purposes and argued that family events were incidental to these efforts. After the expenses were questioned, Stutzman reimbursed his campaign. The House Ethics Committee continued its review, but because Stutzman left Congress in January 2017, the committee lost jurisdiction before taking further action.