In mid-August 2015, Rep. Marlin Stutzman travelled with his family to Los Angeles and met with potential supporters over two days, but billed his Senate campaign for the full costs from the trip. | AP Photo Ethics panel still pursuing allegations against Rep. Stutzman

The House Ethics Committee says it will continue to investigate allegations that GOP Rep. Marlin Stutzman used campaign funds to pay for a family vacation to California.

But with the Indiana Republican retiring at the end of this Congress — and the secretive panel loses jurisdiction over Stutzman — the Ethics Committee only has several weeks to act. Stutzman lost a Republican primary race for Senate earlier this year.


Stutzman has vigorously disputed the allegations, saying he did not violate any campaign regulations during the August 2015 trip.

Reps. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) and Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), chairman and ranking member on Ethics, announced on Tuesday that they will continue to look into the Stutzman matter. The Office of Congressional Ethics recommended a full probe into the issue, according to an OCE report that was also released by Dent and Sanchez. Release of the OCE report is called for under House rules, and it also includes Stutzman's responses to OCE.

In mid-August 2015, Stutzman, his wife, and children visited Los Angeles. Stutzman met with and called potential supporters over two days, but billed his Senate campaign for the full costs from the trip, a potential violation of House rules and federal campaign law, according to OCE. Candidates are not allowed to use campaign funds to pay for personal expenses.

Stutzman's family went on a tour of Universal Studios, Capitol Records and the Reagan Presidential Library during the trip. The family stayed at the home of a friend.

The airplane tickets for the Stutzman family came to more than $2,024, and another $1,147 was spent on vehicle rentals. These costs were picked up by Stutzman's Senate campaign.

Cleta Mitchell, who represented Stutzman during the investigation, said OCE staff "was predisposed to find Rep. Stutzman 'guilty' of a violation" at the start of the probe, according to a Sept. 29 letter to the Ethics Committee.

"The OCE staff never deviated from their preconceived view that the California trip was a 'family' rather than a fundraising trip and a trip during which the congressman and his family met with Indiana constituents on separate events and occasions." An Indiana radio host was in California during this period and interviewed Stutzman.

Mitchell also told the Ethics Committee that Stutzman sought advice from the Federal Election Commission before buying the airline tickets and was told it was permissible. Stutzman has since repaid the campaign for the tickets using his own money.

Stutzman and his wife, as well as his top aides, also cooperated with OCE investigators.