Lauren Ellenbecker / The Columbian
Republican third Congressional District candidate Joe Kent didn’t submit private finance data to the Home Ethics Committee on time, violating federal regulation.
Kent’s marketing campaign workforce blamed unspecified technical points for interfering with submitting his paperwork on time. Candidates are required to submit their private monetary data by the U.S. Home of Representatives submitting system after elevating or spending $5,000 in marketing campaign cash, in line with the Home tips.
Kent didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Monetary disclosures embody notes on belongings, debt, employment and extra revenue data.
The Federal Election Fee reported that Kent raised near $1.4 million in 2021, surpassing the established threshold halfway by the yr. His tardiness violated the federal Cease Buying and selling on Congressional Data Act of 2012, a measure created to battle insider buying and selling.
Those that disclose their private funds previous the deadline could also be topic to a $200 late payment, which is paid to the U.S. Treasury. Candidates who “knowingly and willfully” fail to file an announcement can face an investigation by the Division of Justice.
Kent’s report, filed on Feb. 2, confirmed his earned revenue from his present full-time job, a U.S. Military pension and U.S. Division of Veterans Affairs incapacity funds.
He additionally obtained survivor advantages from his spouse Shannon Kent, a U.S. Navy cryptologist who was killed in a suicide bombing throughout her service in Syria. In response to the disclosure, he additionally obtained an advance to put in writing a e book about his late spouse.
Because the election yr progresses, Kent continues to host fundraising occasions, akin to a Mar-Aa-Lago Membership outing that value a minimal of $1,000 to attend.
Not all candidates for the congressional district submitted private monetary disclosures since that they had not met the monetary threshold by submitting time. This contains Democrat Brent Hennrich and state Rep. Vicki Kraft, R-Vancouver, who introduced her candidacy in late November.
As of Friday, Hennrich’s marketing campaign workforce stated that they had contacted the Home Ethics Committee to obtain the mandatory paperwork to publicly report his private funds.
“It might not all be that fascinating, however it is going to all be there,” he stated.
In response to Republican Heidi St. John’s disclosure filed in Could, she obtained an revenue from talking occasions and e book gross sales, in addition to a fee from a vital oils multilevel advertising firm. St. John, a Christian creator and podcaster, reported receiving zero funds from an inactive publishing enterprise she partially owns alongside her husband and mates.
In 2020, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Floor, reported receiving curiosity on a checking account and making funds on loans. Congress members submit their private funds every Could for the earlier yr, with monetary disclosures from 2021 being underway within the spring.
Extra data on candidates’ marketing campaign earnings and spending could be discovered at FEC.gov.