Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) may have argued his way out of a parking ticket on March 13, but that doesn't mean he's getting off without a hitch.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a government watchdog group, filed an ethics complaint Thursday requesting further investigation into Gohmert's late-night squabble over a parking ticket.
The complaint requests that the Office of Congressional Ethics investigate whether Gohmert "violated House rules by using his position as a member of Congress to avoid a parking ticket." The letter goes on to claim that Gohmert violated House Rule 23, which stipulates that members act "at all times in a manner that reflects credibly on the House," in addition to using his status as an abuse of power.
Politico reported Wednesday that Gohmert had launched into a "rude and irate" rant after receiving a parking violation in Washington, D.C., earlier this month. The Texas congressman was ticketed after he attempted to park in a spot near the Lincoln Memorial reserved for National Park Service vehicles. Gohmert reportedly refused to accept the violation.
"I was issued a ticket and I am a congressman and parked my vehicle in the NPS parking only because I have a Congress placard, see," Gohmert said to an officer, according to the Politico report. "I am going to a meeting on the Hill and I am the one who oversees the National Park Services Natural Resources."
CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan said in a statement that his "sense of entitlement to special treatment is astonishing."
"By abusing his position as a member of Congress to yell at police officers and try and get out of a parking ticket, Rep. Gohmert engaged in conduct that reflects discreditably upon the House," she continued. "No wonder the public prefers cockroaches to members of Congress."
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