Congressman Troy Nels is the subject of a House ethics investigation

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Richmond, is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, the bipartisan group announced Tuesday. The focus of the investigation was not specified, but Nels said it was related to his campaign finances.

The commission said it is investigating a matter reported to its members on December 11 and will announce how it will proceed by May 10. The investigations did not show that there were proven violations of the ethical rules.

Nels said in a statement Tuesday that he would cooperate with the committee.

“My campaign is in compliance with all FEC laws and my books are open,” he said.

The committee is made up of five Democrats and five Republicans, with U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, R-Mississippi, serving as chairman. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, is the only Texan on the committee. Guest and Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pennsylvania, jointly agreed to continue the investigation.

Nels is known for his colorful personality on Capitol Hill, which often leads to controversy. A staunch admirer of President Donald Trump, Nels isn’t shy about lashing out at Democrats or breaking decorum to make a point. He wore a Trump T-shirt to the State of the Union address and pushed Trump to become speaker of the House after Kevin McCarthy was ousted. He wrote a book in 2022 claiming that the 2020 presidential election was stolen by Trump.

It also led to comments that other members found offensive. Nels called the wife of U.S. Rep. Cory Bush, D-Missouri, a “thug” earlier this year. Bush and her husband are black and condemned the comment as racist. The remark drew condemnation from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the Congressional Black Caucus. Nels did not apologize for the remark.

Nels’ campaign reported losing more than $150,000 last year to wire fraud last year, prompting an investigation by the Federal Election Commission. The campaign was able to recover over $130,000 of the stolen funds, which were reportedly sent to a mysterious organization, “Misty J Productions.”

Before Congress, Nels was fired in 1998 as an officer with the Richmond Police Department after several violations of department policy, including mishandling evidence and disobeying orders.

The House Ethics Committee investigates violations of House rules by members and staff. It refers its investigations to the full House to take disciplinary action if members find there has been wrongdoing, and can also refer cases to the Ministry of Justice if there is evidence of wrongdoing.

The House Ethics Committee last year referred former U.S. Rep. George Santos, R-New York, to the Justice Department to investigate alleged campaign finance violations. The commission presented its findings in a report to the full house, which voted to expel Santos in December.

The committee also opened an investigation into U.S. Rep. Ronnie Jackson, R-Amarillo, in April 2022 after the Office of Congressional Ethics reported that Jackson improperly used campaign donations to pay for memberships at an Amarillo social club. The committee released the report in May, but did not release any findings of its own study.

But some investigations ended more innocuously. U.S. Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Sherman, was also investigated in 2022 for failing to file financial statements on time. The commission voted unanimously to close the investigation after finding no evidence that Fallon intentionally missed the deadline.

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