House Ethics Subcommittee to investigate Corrine Brown

Congresswoman Corrine Brown now faces an ethics probe.

The House Committee on Ethics has formed an Investigative Subcommittee to “determine whether Representative Corrine Brown violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other applicable standard of conduct in the performance of her duties”.

While the scope doesn't specifically mention Brown's ties to "One Door for Education"- an organization she promoted as a charity, but whose head recently pled guilty to wire fraud- it does say that specific allegations of "improper conduct relating to certain outside organizations" will be a part of the investigation.

“Including allegations that she may have conspired with other persons in connection with fraudulent activity, improperly solicited charitable donations, used campaign funds for personal purposes, used official resources for impermissible non-official purposes, failed to comply with tax laws, and made false statements, and/or failed to make required disclosures, to the House of Representatives and Federal Election Commission,” says a release from the House Committee on Ethics.

Carla Wiley pled guilty earlier this month to using funds donated to "One Door for Education" for her personal expenses and luxuries, rather than scholarship. Her plea agreement details the involvement of two other unnamed people, one of whom is a public official, according to court records. Brown was pictured on the website for One Door and one of her events was also listed on their website- before that website was recently taken down.

Wiley agreed, under her plea deal, to cooperate with the US Attorney's Office's continued investigation. There has been no movement on that case that's been publicly released since shortly after her plea agreement.

The Department of Justice has intervened in this case, asking the Investigative Subcommittee to defer action at this time. It’s unclear why they have made that request, however sources tell our Washington DC Bureau that is not normal protocol.

Representative Patrick Meehan (PA-R) was named Chairman of the Subcommittee, Representative John Larson (CT-D) is the Ranking Member, and Representatives Martha Roby (AL-R) and Terri Sewell (AL-D) were also put on the panel. It’s unclear at this time when their actual work will begin, because of the DOJ request.

When we first learned Wednesday about the probe, Brown had no comment. WOKV spoke briefly on the phone with Brown on Thursday, at which point she continued to have no comment on the Ethics probe. We’ve requested comment on multiple occasions through this investigation, but Brown has never specifically spoken to the claims and developments.

She said her focus right now is on her legal challenge to her newly re-drawn Congressional District.  Brown still plans to speak on that during a scheduled press conference Friday, but we will continue to push for answers on this Ethics probe as well.