Report: Ronny Jackson’s membership in a posh dining club may have violated ethics laws

A personal benefit enjoyed by Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas may have violated congressional ethics laws.

The former White House physician to former President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama, who now works as a politician, appears to have used campaign funds to purchase membership in a private dining club, according to Office of Congressional Ethics filings first reported by MyHighPlains.com.

They wrote that “there are substantial grounds to believe that Representative Jackson misused Texans for Ronny Jackson campaign funds for personal purposes or that Representative Jackson’s campaign committee spent funds that were not for bona fide political campaign purposes,” the document said.

The committee accused Jackson of considering himself a regular at the Amarillo Club.

In particular, Jackson “refused to give an interview or provide any additional documents or testimony,” according to the OCE investigation. “In addition, and in contrast to the previous investigation, the Amarillo Club also refused to provide any documents to the committee.”

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Founded in 1947, the venue advertises itself as a “place for romantic evenings, celebrations of important events, business meetings, special receptions and much more.”

The Texas congressman is accused of making payments to participate in the Posh Members Club between October 2020 and September 2021, potentially violating House rules and federal law.

The Ethics Commission investigated Jackson’s campaign committee, Texans for Ronny Jackson, and alleged that he “continued to use campaign funds to finance unlimited access to the Amarillo Club…”

Such benefits include access to the “dining rooms, fitness center, banquet and meeting rooms, and club events,” according to the report, which Salon reported on.

The report suggests that Jackson did so despite “knowing about the December 2021 OCE transfer” and paying the membership dues even though they were not “legitimate and verifiable campaign expenditures.”

The Ethics Commission explained in detail that personal use means “any use of funds in a campaign account of a current or former candidate to fulfill a promise, obligation, or expenditure by a person that is independent of the candidate’s campaign or his or her duties as a federal official.”

Jackson recently sparked controversy when he called on Biden to undergo a “clinically validated drug test” before taking the stage opposite Trump at the first presidential debate in Atlanta on June 27.

“So tomorrow I’m sending a letter to President Biden, to his doctor, Dr. O’Connor, and CC’ing his entire cabinet,” Jackson explained. “And it’s embarrassing that I have to do this.”