An advocacy group has requested an ethics investigation of West Michigan Congressman Fred Upton
The American Democracy Legal Fund claims that the Republican Congressman violated federal law and House rules by improperly threatening retribution against contributors to a super Pac. The Mayday super Pac recently announced that it was spending $1.5-million on ads in the district critical of Upton, who is chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. The Huffington Post reported that a staff member of that committee contacted donors to the fund to express displeasure.
The American Democracy Legal Fund is asking the Office of Congressional Ethics to start an investigation.
The Democratic nominee for the Sixth Congressional seat, Western Michigan University Professor Paul Clements, said in a statement that "intimidating donors" shows that Upton has been in Washington too long.
But a spokesman for Upton's campaign told the Gongwer News Service that the committee staff member did not contact any donors of the super Pac, and a retraction has been requested from the Huffington Post.
Upton himself told the Kalamazoo Gazette that he had talked to some of the donors to the Mayday super Pac, who told him they were misled about the purpose of the group.
