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House Ethics Committee confirms review of Rep. Jimmy Duncan

The Ethics Committee didn't say why it's investigating Duncan.

The House Ethics Committee confirmed Tuesday that it’s investigating Republican Rep. John J. “Jimmy” Duncan Jr. of Tennessee, who is serving his 16th term in the House and has previously announced he won't seek re-election.

The committee's announcement on Tuesday that it has decided to extend its review is the first public acknowledgement of the investigation.

The Ethics Committee didn't say why it's investigating Duncan, but Duncan came under fire in early July after a Knoxville website reported that he paid his son $300,000 for campaign work in the years after the younger man pleaded guilty to misconduct in office.

The review was prompted by a referral from the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics.

In a statement, members of the Ethics Committee said they received the referral on January 4.

Duncan responded to Tuesday’s announcement with a statement saying the complaint against him was politically motivated.

“After I had decided not to run for re-election, but before I had announced my decision, someone filed an ethics complaint against me,” Duncan said. “Anyone can file such a complaint, and I am not allowed to know who did so. However, there is a left-wing group in Washington which has filed many ethics complaints against Republican members of Congress to try to get them bad publicity. This was obviously very political and done by someone who was afraid I was going to run for re-election.”

Duncan said once the complaint was received, the Office of Congressional Ethics reviewed his campaign expenditures for the past 10 years.

“Every expenditure was public and reported in my numerous reports to the Federal Election Commission, always filed on time over the years. No taxpayer money was involved,” he said.

The Ethics Committee said they will announce their decision by Wednesday, April 4.

Duncan is a lawyer who served as a state trial judge before entering Congress. He announced his decision not to run for re-election in August 2017.

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“Every expenditure I have ever made out of my campaign funds has been done to help me politically and to assist in my campaigns. That is what campaign funds are for. I have never taken one penny personally other than to pay for meals when I was eating with campaign workers, supporters, or constituents visiting Washington. This is perfectly legal,” Duncan said in the statement.

“I can and will assure the Committee, if asked to do so, that they were all political and helped me in my campaigns,” he said.

He said he is "confident" the Ethics Committee will decide in his favor.

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