ALBUQUERQUE, APRIL 30—On Monday, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a non-profit ethics watchdog group, called for an investigation into Senator Martin Heinrich for reportedly linking official action with solicitations for campaign contributions.
The United States ethics rules strictly prohibit senators from directly linking official action to campaign contributions.
“Federal law and Senate ethics rules do not allow senators to fundraise based upon their official duties, in part because it would lead to the public rightfully question whether the senator’s primary concern was their political campaign,” said Kendra Arnold, executive director of FACT.
“In a case like this, where there is literally a fictional offer to ‘co-sponsor’ legislation along with a request for a campaign contribution, it clearly crosses the line,” she said.
“For all the time that Martin Heinrich spends in D.C. instead of at home, you’d think he’d know the rules of the office he holds. Senator Heinrich has allegedly violated Senate ethics rules and exploited New Mexican’s very real needs-all to line his campaign’s pockets. The Senator is not above the law and this exploitative behavior must be investigated.” said Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman Steve Pearce.
RPNM supports Nella Domenici for the U.S. Senate to bring trust back to Washington, D.C.