Roger Williams

abuse-of-office · 2015-11-01 · In November 2015, the Campaign Legal Center sent a letter questioning whether Rep. Roger Williams, who owns a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep dealership in Weatherford, Texas, had properly sought ethics guidance before offering an amendment to the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The amendment would have exempted certain auto dealerships, including businesses like his own, from a provision barring rental-car and dealership loaner-car companies from renting or lending vehicles subject to unrepaired safety recalls -- a measure inspired by the recall-related deaths of sisters Raechel and Jacqueline Houck. On May 13, 2016, the independent Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) referred the matter to the House Committee on Ethics, having found 'substantial reason to believe' that Williams' personal financial interest in his dealership may have influenced, or been perceived to influence, his official actions, and OCE also noted Williams had declined to cooperate with its inquiry. The Committee on Ethics opened and extended its own review (announced June 27, 2016) before, on July 27, 2017, unanimously voting to release a report and take no further action. The Committee found insufficient evidence of a rule violation but stated Williams should have sought ethics guidance before submitting the amendment and cautioned him to avoid creating any impression that legislative actions were taken to benefit his own business. · House Committee on Ethics unanimously closed the matter on July 27, 2017 with no finding of a rules violation and no sanction, while cautioning Williams to seek ethics guidance before acting on matters touching his personal financial interests in the future.

Sources: Washington Post · Center for Public Integrity · CBS News (CBS Texas) · House Committee on Ethics · Library of Congress (Congress.gov) · Congressman Roger Williams (official site)