A top Republican campaign consultant who has advised 2012 nominee Mitt Romney and other top party leaders pled guilty to lying to congressional investigators who were looking into former Georgia Rep. Paul Broun’s use of taxpayer money for political activities.
Brett O’Donnell admitted in a plea agreement in federal court in Georgia that he made “false statements” to the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent, non-partisan panel that screens potential wrongdoing by members of the House of Representatives.
Court documents filed on Friday show that the $43,000 Broun paid O’Donnell from 2012-2014 was not for official business related to his congressional office, but for advice for his House campaign and for his bid for an open U.S. Senate seat.
The maximum penalty for the offense is five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, but the plea deal notes guidelines that could mean O’Donnell’s sentence is likely to be lower.
O’Donnell told investigators that Broun’s office promised the campaign would ultimately put him on their payroll and that he believed if he stopped providing his services to the office that he would lose his consulting contract with the office.
After news reports in 2014 about the Georgia congressman’s use of official funds to pay political advisers, raising ethics violations, O’Donnell was informed by a Broun aide that the office would no longer be using his services. The then chief of staff in Broun’s office is quoted in a communication to O’Donnell saying that the Office of Congressional Ethics can go “f*** themselves.”
He also advised O’Donnell to tell investigators he was simply volunteering his advice and not on any official payroll.
O’Donnell has advised many Republicans on debate preparation, and recently worked with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is running for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. He has also served as a senior adviser to Michele Bachmann, a tea party favorite who ran for president in 2012.
The Office of Congressional Ethics has conducted several investigations into allegations that House members improperly used official House staff or accounts for campaign business, a practice that is clearly in violation of House ethics rules. Some of these cases have been sent to the House Ethics Committee for further review, but O’Donnell’s plea marks the first time an individual has plead guilty. Broun, who no longer serves in Congress, cannot face any additional actions by the committee.
O’Donnell has also advised House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rogers, who faced ethics questions about her office’ use of official funds for political work during her race for her leadership position. In that case the House ethics committee decided not to set up an investigative panel.
