WASHINGTON — Long Island Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi has been hit with an ethics complaint zinging him for failure to disclose his purchase of US Treasury bills on time.
On four occasions between September and early November of last year, Suozzi (D-NY) bought Treasury bills valued somewhere between $4,000 and $60,000, but didn’t disclose that until about a year later, Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), an ethics watchdog, discovered.
FACT levied a complaint against Suozzi on Thursday with the House Committee on Ethics and Office of Congressional Ethics, urging both panels to investigate.
“While any violation of this law is serious, this case is even more so given that Suozzi has failed to file periodic transaction reports for hundreds of stock transactions in the past and appeared hostile to his duty to do so while being investigated,” FACT’s executive director, Kendra Arnold, wrote in the complaint.
“Thus, it is clear Suozzi has extensive knowledge of the law and his duty to comply with it, but despite his prior assurances to adhere to it, he is not.”
Under current public disclosure rules set by the STOCK Act, members of Congress are required to disclose financial transactions in excess of $1,000 within a month and are prohibited from taking longer than 45 days to do so.
Suozzi did not file those disclosures on time. Instead, the revelation came from his annual financial disclosure that lawmakers are required to provide with a “full and complete” overview of their income, assets and debts.
The Treasury purchases in question took place on Sept. 19 and 26, Oct. 24, and Nov. 7 of last year, records show.
Many lawmakers in Congress have been caught violating the STOCK Act over the years.
Last month, FACT filed a complaint against Suozzi over a July social media post he made about immigration on an official account shortly before posting that same video on his campaign account.
FACT argued that the timing “strongly indicates coordination between his official and campaign offices” in violation of House rules.
Suozzi also previously faced accusations of STOCK Act violations for as many as 300 transactions in 2021.
Last month, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) flagged concerns that Suozzi may have flouted the STOCK Act with his Treasury bill purchases.
“Rep. Suozzi’s repeated violations show a blatant disregard for the most basic ethics rules,” Arnold told The Post. “The financial disclosure laws are not optional recommendations, they are critical safeguards against corruption, insider trading, and conflicts of interest.”
“When Members ignore these laws, it erodes the public’s trust and damages faith in government as a whole. The Office of Congressional Ethics must act to hold Rep. Suozzi accountable.”
The Post reached out to Suozzi’s office for comment.
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