U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop is facing an ethics investigation regarding unspecified concerns about campaign spending reports filed on his behalf, his office confirmed.
The House Ethics Committee released a memo Tuesday saying it had extended its time to complete the investigation, the first public statement indicating one was underway. Bishop’s office later shared more details:
“The Office of Congressional Ethics notified Congressman Bishop that it was reviewing his campaign’s disbursement reports. The Congressman is cooperating fully in this matter in an open and transparent way. This includes conducting a thorough review of his campaign finance reports to identify all necessary corrective steps to resolve this matter in a timely fashion. The Congressman takes ethical issues very seriously and has always been committed to complying with all campaign finance regulations and standards of conduct.”
The Ethics Committee memo said it received a complaint from the Office of Congressional Ethics in February. Although the investigation has been extended, that does not indicate any violation has occurred, the memo said.
Bishop, a Democrat from Albany, has been serving in Congress since 1993. He represents the 2nd Congressional District, which covers all or part of 29 counties in southwest Georgia.
The Sanford Bishop for Congress campaign committee has about $300,000 in its account, according to a report filed at the end of May with the Federal Election Commission.
The committee has spent nearly $600,000 from January 2019 through May 2020.
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