Campaign Legal Center Calls for Ethics Investigation of Senators Behind Legislation Allowing Them to Sue Government for Potential Millions

Washington, D.C. — Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics concerning senators who may have been involved in inserting personally beneficial legislation in the fiscal year 2025 funding bill, violating Senate conflict of interest rules. The provision inserted by senators at the last minute would allow eight lawmakers who had their phone records seized by the FBI to receive mandatory minimum damages of $500,000 per violation. 

Since this provision has come to light, there has been bipartisan outrage across the newly re-opened Congress, as well as legislative action in the House of Representatives to repeal the measure. 

Kedric Payne, vice president, general counsel and senior director of ethics at Campaign Legal Center, issued the following statement: 

“Elected officials are expected to use their power to support legislation that serves the public, not their own personal financial interests. If a group of senators use an emergency funding bill ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history to unexpectedly create a personal benefit potentially worth millions of dollars for a limited group, they enrich themselves and damage the public’s trust. The Senate Ethics Committee must determine whether these senators who created and aided the passage of these provisions violated Senate rules.”