Today, CREW filed a complaint with the House Ethics Committee against Rep. Laura Richardson (D-CA). We asked for an immediate investigation into whether she has violated House rules. Specifically, CREW asked that the committee determine whether Rep. Richardson accepted a loan in violation of the House gift rule, failed to properly report a loan on her financial disclosure statements, and engaged in conduct that does not reflect creditably on the House by loaning her campaign money at a time when she was in default on her mortgage. Extensive background on Richardson's financial dealings can be found here.

When we filed the complaint, CREW's Melanie Sloan made this statement:

By failing to pay her debts, filing incorrect financial disclosure forms and funneling money that should have gone to pay her mortgage and property taxes to her congressional campaign, Rep. Richardson has signaled that legal and financial obligations can be ignored in the pursuit of political power. Richardson not only has shown exceedingly poor judgement, she has violated House ethics rules. She is unfit to be an elected official, at any level.