Committee records
Read the committee’s public announcements and letters, follow dated procedural steps, and open the original documents.
A review, an allegation, a finding and a closure are different outcomes. Read the committee’s stated reason; the absence of a publication does not establish an absence of concerns.
Committee-wide activity report. Its counts are not individual case findings or outcomes.
The publication is listed by the committee, but its source content is unavailable in this collection.
Committee-wide activity report. No individual case outcome is inferred from aggregate statistics.
Publications naming Robert Menendez
Official document text is available via an indexed copy. The original PDF is unavailable in this collection.
The committee closed the matter after resignation ended its jurisdiction. This is not exoneration or a sanction adopted by the Senate.
The indexed copy is marked complete. The original PDF bytes are unavailable.
For Immediate Release August 21, 2024 Contact: Shannon Kopplin (202) 224-2981 STATEMENT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS REGARDING THE MATTER OF SENATOR ROBERT MENENDEZ Washington, DC – U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics Chairman Christopher A. Coons (DDE) and Vice Chairman James Lankford (R-OK) today issued the following statement: “Promptly upon the conclusion of the federal trial, the Committee voted to proceed with an adjudicatory review of alleged violations of the Senate Rules by Senator Menendez and was preparing a written report for the Senate with specific findings and recommendations for disciplinary action. Yesterday, Senator Robert Menendez officially resigned from the Senate. The Committee only has jurisdiction over sitting members of the Senate. As such, the Committee has lost jurisdiction for its adjudicatory review and has closed this matter.”
Statement of the Select Committee on Ethics regarding the matter of Senator Robert Menendez
Publications naming Robert Menendez
Official document text is available via an indexed copy. The original PDF is unavailable in this collection.
The committee initiated adjudicatory review. The announcement describes findings and possible recommendations as later steps.
The indexed copy is marked complete. The original PDF bytes are unavailable.
For Immediate Release July 22, 2024 Contact: Shannon Kopplin (202) 224-2981 STATEMEMENT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS REGARDING THE MATTER OF SENATOR ROBERT MENENDEZ Washington, DC—U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics Chairman Christopher A. Coons (DDE) and Vice Chairman James Lankford (R-OK) today issued the following statement: “Earlier today, the Committee notified Senator Menendez through his counsel that members voted unanimously to initiate an adjudicatory review of his alleged violations of Senate Rules. The Committee anticipates completing the adjudicatory review promptly. An adjudicatory review is required when the Committee considers disciplinary actions, such as expulsion or censure. The adjudicatory review will be conducted in accordance with Committee Supplementary Rules of Procedure 4 and 5, and Senator Menendez will be afforded the procedural rights he is due under those provisions. At the completion of the adjudicatory review, the Committee will move expeditiously to submit a written report to the Senate including specific findings and any recommendations for disciplinary action.”
Statement of the Select Committee on Ethics regarding the matter of Senator Robert Menendez
Publications naming Robert Menendez
Official document text is available via an indexed copy. The original PDF is unavailable in this collection.
The committee described its investigation following the 2023 indictment and the completion of the criminal trial.
The indexed copy is marked complete. The original PDF bytes are unavailable.
For Immediate Release July 16, 2024 Contact: Shannon Kopplin (202) 224-2981 STATEMENT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS REGARDING THE MATTER OF SENATOR ROBERT MENENDEZ Washington, DC – U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics Chairman Christopher A. Coons (D-DE) and Vice Chairman James Lankford (R-OK) today issued the following statement: “Immediately following the 2023 indictment of Senator Robert Menendez, the Committee initiated an investigation into the allegations of misconduct against him. In September 2023, the Committee issued a statement regarding the Committee’s policies in matters where there is an active and ongoing criminal investigation. Now that Senator Menendez’s trial has concluded, the Committee will complete its investigation promptly. The Committee will consider the full range of disciplinary actions available under the Rules of Procedure.” ###
Statement of the Select Committee on Ethics regarding the matter of Senator Robert Menendez
Committee-wide activity report. Its counts are not individual case findings or outcomes.
The publication is listed by the committee, but its source content is unavailable in this collection.
Committee-wide activity report. No individual case outcome is inferred from aggregate statistics.
Official document text is available via an indexed copy. The original PDF is unavailable in this collection.
The indexed copy is marked complete. The original PDF bytes are unavailable.
For Immediate Release September 22, 2023 Contact: Shannon Kopplin (202) 224-2981 STATEMENT OF THE SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS Washington, DC – In response to repeated requests from the press, we want to reaffirm that the Senate Select Committee on Ethics does not comment on matters pending before the Committee or matters that may come before the Committee. Also, absent special circumstances, it has been the long-standing policy of the Committee to yield investigation into matters where there is an active and ongoing criminal investigation or proceeding so as not to interfere in that process. ###
Publications naming Lindsey Graham
Official document text is available via an indexed copy. The original PDF is unavailable in this collection.
The public letter admonishes Graham over campaign solicitation. Its reference to a private 2021 dismissal is historical context, not a separate public 2021 publication.
The indexed copy is marked complete. The original PDF bytes are unavailable.
CHRISTOPHER A. COONS, DELAWARE. CHAIRMAN JAMES LAN~FORD. OKLAHOMA, VICE CHAIRMAN BRIAN SCHATZ, HAWAII JAMES E. RISCH, IDAHO JEANNE SHAHEEN. NEW HAMPSHIRE DEB FISCHER, NEBRASKA SHANNON HAMILTON KOPPLIN, CHIEF COUNSEL AND STAFF DIRECTOR WILLIAM B. CABLE, CHIEF CLERK The Honorable Lindsey Graham United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator Graham: SELECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS March 23, 2023 Public Letter of Admonition HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING, ROOM 220 SECOND AND CONSTITUTION AVENUE, NE WASHINGTON, DC 20510-ll425 TELEPHONE, 1202) 224-2981 FACSIMILE, 1202) 224-7416 TOD, 12021 228-3752 Pursuant to its authority under Senate Resolution 338, the Select Committee on Ethics (the Committee) reviewed an allegation that you violated Senate Rules and related standards of conduct by soliciting campaign contributions in a federal building. The Committee finds that your conduct was contrary to Senate standards of conduct and, accordingly, issues you this Public Letter of Admonition. The Committee initiated its inquiry after receiving a complaint alleging that you solicited campaign contributions in support of Georgia senatorial candidate Herschel Walker during a media interview conducted in the Russell Senate Office Building on November 30, 2022. The complaint included a link to a video clip of the interview, which the Committee has reviewed as well as the information you provided to the Committee regarding this matter. Based upon all available information, the Committee concluded that on November 30, 2022, you conducted a media interview with Fox News in the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building and that your interview was slightly over nine minutes, with over four minutes devoted to a discussion of the 2022 senatorial run-off election in Georgia. The Committee further concluded that during your discussion of the senatorial run-off election, you directly solicited campaign contributions on behalf of Mr. Walker's campaign committee, www.teamherschel.com, five separate times. Your actions on November 30, 2022, represented a repeat violation of Senate standards of conduct. On October 14, 2020, immediately following a Judiciary Committee hearing, you engaged in an unplanned media interview in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. In response to a reporter's question regarding your reelection campaign fundraising, you directly solicited campaign contributions for your campaign committee. While the Committee concluded your conduct violated Senate standards of conduct, it considered several mitigating factors, and in accordance with the Committee's Rules of Procedure, determined your conduct was " inadvertent, technical, or otherwise of a de minimis nature. " On March 8, 202 1, the Committee dismissed the complaint and notified you of the Committee's findings and action by private letter. The Committee is charged with upholding the ethical standards of the U.S. Senate, a responsibility both broader than and distinct from criminal law. The specific prohibition on campaign solicitation in federal buildings and the restrictions on the use of official resources for campaign activity have been consistent and clear throughout your years of Senate service, and the Committee is confident the Senate community understands this standard and its rationale. Applying this standard to your conduct, the Committee finds that you did solicit federal campaign contributions and otherwise impermissibly conducted campaign activity in a federal building. Further, you made these campaign solicitations despite the Committee's specific guidance following your violation in October 2020. The Committee does acknowledge that you did self-report your conduct to the Chairman and Vice Chairman. The public must feel confident that Members use public resources only for official actions in the best interests of the United States, not for partisan political activity. Your actions failed to uphold that standard, resulting in harm to the public trust and confidence in the United States Senate. You are hereby admonished. Christopher A. Coons Chairman Sincerely, 2 Vice Chaim1an
Senator Lindsey Graham - Public Letter of Admonition
Publications naming Lindsey Graham
Official document text is available via an indexed copy. The original PDF is unavailable in this collection.
The committee announced a public admonition. The announcement and letter concern the same event.
The indexed copy is marked complete. The original PDF bytes are unavailable.
For Immediate Release March 23, 2023 Contact: Shannon Kopplin (202) 224-2981 SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS RELEASES PUBLIC LETTER OF ADMONITION TO SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM Washington, DC – The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics found that Senator Lindsey Graham solicited federal campaign contributions and otherwise impermissibly conducted campaign activity in a federal building and issued the following letter today: Public Letter of Admonition to Senator Lindsey Graham No other public statement will be made on this matter except in accordance with Committee Rules. ###
Statement of the Select Committee on Ethics regarding the matter of Senator Lindsey Graham
Committee-wide activity report. Its counts are not individual case findings or outcomes.
The publication is listed by the committee, but its source content is unavailable in this collection.
Committee-wide activity report. No individual case outcome is inferred from aggregate statistics.
Committee-wide activity report. Its counts are not individual case findings or outcomes.
The publication is listed by the committee, but its source content is unavailable in this collection.
Committee-wide activity report. No individual case outcome is inferred from aggregate statistics.
Official document text is available via an indexed copy. The original PDF is unavailable in this collection.
The indexed copy is marked complete. The original PDF bytes are unavailable.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 3, 2021 CONTACT: Hannah Smith (Coons) at 202-224-5042 or Hannah_Smith@coons.senate.gov Aly Beley (Lankford) at 202-224-5754 or Aly_Beley@lankford.senate.gov Sens. Coons, Lankford announce Shannon Hamilton Kopplin as new Ethics Committee Chief Counsel and Staff Director Kopplin previously served in the role in an acting capacity and brings extensive experience as Assistant Judge Advocate General of the Navy and Special Counsel to the Chief of Naval Operations WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.), the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, announced that Shannon Hamilton Kopplin has been named as the new Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the Senate Ethics Committee. Kopplin has served as the Committee’s Acting Chief Counsel and Staff Director since October 2020. Over the past year, Kopplin has managed the Committee’s nonpartisan professional staff, advised Members of the Committee, conducted training for congressional employees on ethics rules, and provided guidance that allows Members, officers, and employees to have a clear understanding of the standards of conduct that govern their actions as public officials. Before joining the Senate, Kopplin served as a career naval officer including as the Assistant Judge Advocate General of the Navy responsible for all civil law matters in the Department of the Navy and as Special Counsel to the Chief of Naval Operations. At all levels of Navy leadership, Kopplin developed and maintained successful ethics programs, designed and delivered innovative ethics trainings, and mentored countless junior attorneys and paralegals in this practice area. Kopplin replaces Deborah Sue Mayer, the Committee’s longtime Chief Counsel and Staff Director, who recently announced her retirement after 23 years of federal service. “Shannon Kopplin is an experienced, talented, and principled attorney, and we are delighted to have her leadership, extensive skills, and knowledge at the Senate Ethics Committee,” said Chairman Coons and Vice Chairman Lankford. “Throughout her career in the Navy, and now the Senate, Shannon has demonstrated honor, integrity, and a commitment to justice and objectivity. We are confident her leadership will benefit the Committee and the Senate as a whole.” The Select Committee on Ethics is unique among all Senate committees in that it is structurally bipartisan—there are a total of six Members, with three Members from the majority party and three Members from the minority party. The Committee staff is a nonpartisan professional staff hired jointly by the Chairman and Vice Chairman. ###
Sens. Coons, Lankford announce Shannon Hamilton Kopplin as new Ethics Committee Chief Counsel and Staff Director
Committee-wide activity report. Its counts are not individual case findings or outcomes.
The publication is listed by the committee, but its source content is unavailable in this collection.
Committee-wide activity report. No individual case outcome is inferred from aggregate statistics.
The committee’s public catalogs determine this collection. Publication counts are not counts of allegations, people or cases.
Catalog publications span Jul 30, 2002 through Aug 21, 2024.