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Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

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Coachella Valley Independent logo

Coachella Valley Independent logo

Legal but Unethical: Rep. Ken Calvert has a History of Sending Taxpayer-Funded Campaign Pieces in the days Leading up to Elections, Using a Congressional-Rules Loophole

John Pelissero, director, government ethics quoted by the Coachella Valley Independent.

Calvert’s office admits that the congressman has a history of using the “499 loophole” to send taxpayer-funded mailings during pre-election blackout periods. While the practice is not against the rules, is it ethical?

“No, it’s not ethical,” said John Pelissero, director, government ethics. “The real ethical problem is one of the optics of this. He’s clearly following the letter of the law, but in a way that says he’s going to find a way around the intent of the law.”

John Pelissero, director, government ethics quoted by the Coachella Valley Independent.

 

Ethics
media, government