Ronny Jackson spending ‘likely implicates the prohibition against personal use of campaign funds,’ OCE says

Monthly dues paid by Texas GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson’s campaign to a private social club in Amarillo, Texas, “likely implicates the prohibition against personal use of campaign funds,” the Office of Congressional Ethics has concluded.

Documents collected by the nonpartisan ethics office and released Monday show Jackson joined the Amarillo Club, located in his congressional district, in October 2020 and used campaign funds to pay for a $649 membership and application fee. Jackson’s campaign committee, Texans for Ronny Jackson, made regular dues payments to the club.

“Since joining, Rep. Jackson’s campaign committee has made regular monthly dues payments of $175.37 to the Amarillo Club. Between October 2020 and September 2021, the campaign committee made eleven monthly dues payments to the club, totaling $1,929.07,” according the the OCE report.

Jackson’s membership at the club provides him and his wife with unlimited access to the club’s dining rooms, gym, banquet and meeting rooms, club events and ClubCorp reciprocity benefits — which provides access to a national network of private golf, country, city and stadium clubs, the OCE said.

It is illegal to spend campaign funds for personal use. The Federal Election Campaign Act outlaws spending on “country club memberships” and “dues and fees for health clubs or recreational facilities.”