Tim Ryan accused of breaking House ethics rule during Ohio Senate campaign

EXCLUSIVE: Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan is under fire for allegedly violating House ethics rules in his bid for one of Ohio’s U.S. Senate seats.

The Foundation for Civic Accountability and Trust (FACT) on Tuesday filed a complaint with the House Ethics Committee against Ryan.

The government watchdog says the Ohio Democrat and his campaign communications director may have violated ethics rules by using footage from the House floor during his Senate campaign.

The FACT complaint claims that Ryan’s Senate campaign and its communications director used footage of House proceedings on social media.

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« The law is clear: A member of Congress cannot use any footage from the House or Senate floor for campaign purposes, » said Kendra Arnold, the group’s executive director. « Furthermore, in accordance with the rules of ethics, each member is responsible for his campaign and his staff. »

A spokesperson for Ryan’s campaign told Fox News Digital that the ethics complaint was politically motivated.

« These baseless claims are nothing more than a clumsy attempt by Republicans in Washington to change the subject to literally something other than JD Vance’s embarrassment over a campaign or his disgraceful nonprofit whose sole achievement was to bring a Purdue Pharma accomplice to Ohio, » Ryan’s campaign said. said.

Ryan’s campaign Twitter account in late July shared an image of a C-SPAN producer of failed legislation in the Senate. The bill, which would expand health benefits for veterans exposed to toxic combustion fireplaces, was supported by Ryan.

« I was proud to co-sponsor this bill named after Ohio’s own [Sergeant First Class] Heath Robinson, » Ryan’s campaign wrote. « Now our efforts to provide lifesaving care to service members have died in the Senate with a majority of votes. The Senate is broken. Every day this bill stalls is an insult to our veterans and their families. »

House ethics rules state that a member may not use photographs or videos of the floor’s proceedings for political purposes. In ruling on previous cases, the House Ethics Committee found that the ban extends to members reusing footage of debates published by a third party.

Ryan, a 10-term congressman, is running to replace incumbent GOP senator from Ohio, Rob Portman. His candidacy largely centered on his populist message and his work on Capitol Hill for voters and congressional staff.

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The Ohio Democrat, for example, has touted his work expanding benefits for congressional staffers as chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Legislative Branch.

Representative Tim Ryan meditates in his office.
(Photo courtesy of Rep. Tim Ryan’s office)

Ryan’s Senate campaign communications director, Izzi Levy, highlighted those efforts on social media, using photos and videos of the congressman’s speeches on the House floor.

In late July, Levy shared several images and videos of Ryan speaking out in support of legislation to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing and another bill that bolsters pension plans for former Delphi employees. Auto Parts.

FACT says the sharing of these ground videos by Ryan’s director of communications also violates House ethics rules.

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“He is accountable for his campaign actions and, as the House Ethics Manual explains, an MP cannot do indirectly what he is directly prohibited from doing,” Arnold said.

This isn’t the first time Ryan’s conduct has come under fire. Last month, the Ohio lawmaker was accused of abusing the House’s proxy voting system to allow him to campaign for the Senate.