"I didn't know that I wasn't allowed to do it," Watkins Sr. said during a phone conversation on Thursday. "I thought you could just give money to them and they could do with it what they wanted."

When he found out that such third-person donations were improper, Watkins Sr. said he self-reported to the FEC what he'd done. And Watkins’ congressional campaign refunded the money to the donors.

Then-candidate Steve Watkins speaks at a rally with President Donald Trump in Topeka, Kan., in Oct. 2018. | Scott Olson/Getty Images

According to campaign records, Dennis and Katheryn Sumner, as well as Dennis Sumner Construction Co., donated $21,600 combined to Watkins Jr.'s campaign in mid-2018. The campaign later refunded those contributions.

The campaign also refunded $2,700 to Diane Watkins in June 2018. Diane Watkins, the congressman’s sister, is attorney at the Kansas City, Mo. law firm of Wagstaff & Cartmell, LLP.

Watkins Sr. is now waiting for the FEC to reach a final judgment in the case. The FEC declined to comment, noting they don’t discuss ongoing investigations until they have been resolved and closed by the agency.

"I feel terrible about it," Watkins Sr. added of the alleged campaign-finance violations. "My son is getting all this bad publicity for something he didn't do."

Watkins has paid roughly $30,000 in “legal fees” to campaign finance lawyers, according to a review of his campaign filings.

“Neither Congressman Watkins nor his campaign committee are under FEC investigation,” a spokesman for Watkins said in a statement. “Congressman Watkins will continue focusing on what has made him successful and built a nearly 30 point lead against his opponent — standing with President Trump, defending conservative values, and battling the political swamp.”

Watkins, a 43-year-old Army veteran and West Point graduate, has generally kept a low-profile on Capitol Hill since narrowly winning his seat in 2018. But the freshman lawmaker has been juggling a number of controversies: in addition to his father’s potential legal troubles, a local district attorney is investigating Watkins for alleged voter fraud back in Kansas and he’s facing new revelations about his conduct on the campaign trail.

The Shawnee County’s district attorney is looking into local news reports that Watkins listed his voter registration address as a UPS store in Topeka and may have improperly voted in a city council election. Watkins’ office, however, said he amended his address after the error was flagged and is fully cooperating with the investigation.

“Steve listed his mailing address instead of his physical address,” a spokesman for Watkins said. “He lives at the Overlook Apartments off Wanamaker in Topeka. This was inadvertent and both addresses are in the same county and same congressional district, there was no improper purpose.”

Americans for Public Trust, an advocacy group founded by a former researcher for the House GOP’s campaign arm, filed a complaint on Thursday morning with the Office of Congressional Ethics, calling for an investigation into Watkins over alleged voter fraud and perjury – both related to Watkins’ voter registration accusation.

“As a member of the House, Representative Steve Watkins has been entrusted to uphold the law and act in a way that ensures and maintains confidence in the institution of the House,” Caitlin Sutherland, the group's executive director, wrote in the letter. “Unfortunately, in addition to documented falsehoods, there are now concerning allegations of felony voter fraud and perjury. Therefore, I respectfully request that OCE investigate these allegations.”

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In addition to the potential legal woes, there were also some personnel issues during Watkins’ 2018 campaign. He lived in a group home with five of his staffers — an unusual setting that one person familiar with the situation described as a “frat-like” atmosphere, because there were so many people crammed in the house.

The living dynamic also led to an awkward confrontation at one point. Watkins thought one of his staffers stole some of his “Viagra” pills that were apparently imported from Asia, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. Watkins had another staffer confront that person about the alleged incident, which the sources described as a big misunderstanding.

Watkins' office declined to comment on any of the personnel issues that allegedly took place during the campaign.

Watkins is now gearing up for re-election, where he is facing a GOP primary challenge from Republican state Treasurer Jake LaTurner — an intra-party match-up that was encouraged by some GOP politicians in the state, including former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer.

Watkins raised $750,000 in 2019 and ended the year with $400,000 in cash on hand, his campaign records show. LaTurner raked in $642,000 over the same period, ending with $591,000 in cash on hand.

In the 2018 election, Watkins narrowly beat Democrat Paul Davis to represent the seat formerly held by Republican Rep. Lynn Jenkins. Trump carried the district by 18.3 points in 2016, but the House race was considered a toss-up once the seat opened up. The district, which has been in Republican hands for a decade, covers the eastern portion of the state and includes Topeka.

