WASHINGTON _ The House Ethics Committee has called for Rep. Markwayne Mullin to return $40,000 to his family business, Mullin West, following a review that concluded the money was paid out to him in a manner that is out of compliance with House rules and the committee's recommendations.
The report released Friday by the House ethics panel determined that Mullin, R-Okla., made a "good faith" effort to seek informal guidance on issues related to his family businesses, but he didn't take action on the guidance he received. The committee determined that an accounting error led Mullin to "inadvertently fail to fully follow part of the Committee's advice," according to the report.
While Mullin transferred ownership of a company to his wife, on the advice of the committee, he did not end an automatic payment process. That led Mullin to receive $40,000 from the company in 2013. That is the money the panel says he must pay back.
The Office of Congressional Ethics first referred the Mullin case to the House Ethics Committee in December 2013 over allegations that Mullin personally endorsed goods and services provided by companies that he and his family owned and that he received outside earned income, in excess of the applicable limits, from those companies.
