Michael Guest

RepublicanU.S. Representative, MS-3

Age	56 (b. 1970-02-04)
Gender	Male
In office since	2019-01-03 (~7 yrs)
Religion	Christian (Southern Baptist); member of Brandon Baptist Church, serves as deacon and Sunday school teacher
Education	B.S. in Accounting, Mississippi State University; J.D., University of Mississippi School of Law
Prior occupation	Attorney; Assistant District Attorney for Madison and Rankin Counties (1994-2008); District Attorney for Madison and Rankin Counties (2008-2019)
Military service	No
Birthplace	Woodbury, New Jersey
Marital status	Married — Haley Kennedy Guest
Children	2
Residence	Brandon, Rankin County, Mississippi

Wikipedia · Ballotpedia · OpenSecrets · Official site

Pending research: race / ethnicity · languages · notable relatives · openly lgbtq.

Career & politics

First elected	2018
Previous offices	Assistant District Attorney, Madison and Rankin Counties, Mississippi (1994-2008) · District Attorney, Madison and Rankin Counties, Mississippi (2008-2019)
Committees	Committee on Appropriations · Committee on Ethics (Chair) · Committee on Homeland Security
Caucuses	Republican Study Committee · Pro-Life Caucus · Border Security Caucus · Law Enforcement Caucus · National Guard and Reserve Caucus · Army Caucus · Prayer Caucus · Sportsman Caucus
Leadership	Chair, House Committee on Ethics (since January 3, 2023) · Ranking Member, House Committee on Ethics (August 2022 - January 2023) · Chairman, Border Security and Enforcement Subcommittee, House Homeland Security Committee
Ideology	Consistently conservative Republican; emphasizes limited government, lower taxes, pro-life, Second Amendment, strong national defense and border security
Signature legislation	H.R. 1590 - Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel Exercise Act of 2019 (signed into law October 9, 2019)

Financial

Net worth: disclosed $3,711,245–$15,039,999 (recent) · estimate

Land & Building in Brandon, MS (real estate)	real_estate · $1,000,001–$5,000,000
American Funds Washington Mutual A (AWSHX)	fund · $250,001–$500,000
Vanguard Cash Reserves (VMRXX)	fund · $100,001–$250,000

Scandals & crimes ledger

resolved — STOCK Act Late Disclosure Violation (2021 Trades)

financial/corruption · 2021-01-22 · Business Insider's "Conflicted Congress" project reported in November 2021 that Rep. Michael Guest had violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012 by failing to timely disclose stock transactions. The trades -- a purchase of $1,001-$15,000 in Exxon stock and a sale of $1,001-$15,000 in BP stock, both dated January 22, 2021 -- were made through a family trust in which Guest has no decision-making role but his wife and sons are beneficiaries. The transactions were not reported to the Clerk of the House until November 3, 2021, well past the 30/45-day disclosure window required by law. Guest paid the standard $200 late-filing fee, the statutory remedy for such violations. Notably, Guest was at the time (and remains) a senior Republican member of the House Ethics Committee, the panel with oversight of STOCK Act enforcement, which drew additional media scrutiny. · Paid $200 statutory late-filing fee to resolve the disclosure violation; no further formal ethics proceeding reported.

Guest filed a required periodic transaction report roughly eight months late, disclosing that a family trust (in which his wife and sons are beneficiaries) purchased and sold BP and ExxonMobil stock on January 22, 2021. The disclosure, due within 30-45 days, was not filed with the House Clerk until November 3, 2021, putting Guest in violation of the STOCK Act's disclosure-timeliness requirement. He paid the standard $200 statutory late-filing fee.

Sources: Newsweek · Wikipedia

resolved — FEC Administrative Fine – Late 48-Hour Notification Report (AF #4247)

campaign-finance · 2021-10-29 · Federal Election Commission · Civil penalty of $3,181 assessed, upheld on appeal, and paid in full

The FEC's Administrative Fine Program assessed a $3,181 civil penalty against Friends of Michael Guest (FEC Committee ID: C00665752) for a late or missing 2020 48-Hour Notification report. The initial finding was issued October 29, 2021. The committee contested the fine and the penalty was upheld on March 11, 2022. The full $3,181 was paid by the April 14, 2022 due date.

Sources: Federal Election Commission