Last week, End Citizens United, a pro-active group in favor of
overturning the Supreme Court decision in “Citizens United’ and favoring
Democratic candidates, filed a formal complaint with the Office of
Congressional Ethics over Rep. Ken Calvert’s disclosures regarding
rental properties and potential conflicts with congressional earmarks.

In the complaint, Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United,
requested an investigation in Calvert’s rental financials, alleging “. .
. apparent violations of federal law through his failure to make the
disclosures required by the amended ‘Ethics in Government Act of 1978’.”

These transactions occurred between 2016 and 2021.

The first issue, which Muller raised, was the omissions of either a
purchase date or sales date for several properties for which Calvert had
declared rental income. In the absence of a purchase date, one does not
know how long Calvert may have been collecting the rent. The absence of
a sales date does not reveal the cost or amount of the transaction.

While Muller acknowledged that Calvert had filed financial reports with
the Committee, she stressed that significant factual data was omitted.

“This record of filing PFDs creates the appearance that Rep. Calvert is
in compliance with the Act. However, a closer look at his reports
reveals a concerning pattern of omitting pertinent financial
information,” she emphasized in her complaint.

The second issue that Muller raised was whether certain Congressional
earmarks which Calvert initiated and sponsored were done to benefit the
value of these or other of his rental properties. Earmarks are federal
funds appropriated for specific projects within the sponsor’s district,
rather than a budget request initiated from a federal agency.

End Citizens United identified three specific earmarks which they allege
were done to enhance Calvert’s properties. The first was a $2 million
project to widen a bridge along Magnolia Avenue in Corona. A second
project cost $9 million for improvements on Interstate 15.

The third earmark that was questioned was $5 million to help fund an
environmental study for a rail line between downtown Los Angeles and
Palm Springs. Again, Muller alleged that Calvert’s properties were close
enough to the possible rail line to gain value.

“These omissions not only violate the spirit of transparency required by
law but also erode public trust by obscuring the potential for personal
gain from his legislative actions,” Muller stressed in her complaint.

“This is a meritless political stunt from a far-left superPAC that has
endorsed Congressman Calvert’s opponent. End Citizens United’s complaint
makes multiple factual errors and simply is not accurate,“ Calvin Moore,
spokesman for Calvert’s campaign, wrote in an email to the Town Crier. 

This is not the first time that Calvert’s ethics have been questioned.
And Muller noted it in her press release accompanying the complaint.
“Representative Calvert is back to his old ways, shamelessly abusing his
position of power for personal financial gain. Through his gross misuse
of earmarked funds, he’s blurring the line between his duties as an
elected official and his personal business dealings. The fact that he
failed to disclose several properties on his financial disclosure
forms––a process he is fully aware of after over 30 years in
office––coupled with the use of federal funds to boost his property
value, leaves no room for misunderstanding about what he’s doing.”

In 2006, it was alleged that his sponsorship of a $5.6 million earmark
for a freeway interchange near March Air Base and a parcel which he
owned was for his benefit. He subsequently sold this parcel a year after
purchase and made almost $450,000 profit for a $550,000 purchase.

However, after the complaints were raised, it was shown that the
interchange was 16 miles from the property and other properties similar
to Calvert’s were selling a similar market value.

In 2007, the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct conducted
an investigation into the earmark and concluded that Calvert did not
have a financial interest in this matter.

A day after the End Citizens United complaint was filed, Will Rollins,
the Democrat candidate, challenging Calvert, said in a press release,
““The fact that Calvert filed six years’ worth of amended disclosures
only after the press started asking him questions is a huge red flag. If
the earmarks had nothing to do with how and when he and his business
partners acquired properties, he should prove it.”

Rollins was Calvert’s opponent in 2022. Calvert won the election with
52% of the votes cast. Many pundits are calling this a close election
with a major effect on control of the House of Representatives in 2025.

Since its founding in 2015, ECU has raised over $200 million to help
protect and strengthen democracy and has helped elect more than 600
democracy champions.