Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity Vice Chair Kris Kobach violated federal conflict of interest law, according to a complaint filed on Tuesday by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) with the Department of Justice (DOJ).
A probe is required to determine if Kobach improperly came to an agreement in which he has a financial interest, according to the complaint.
Kobach, who is Kansas' secretary of state and is also currently running for governor, agreed to be paid for writing columns for Breitbart News, including one which was apparently written in his official capacity with the commission that alleged serious voter fraud in New Hampshire.
Following the article's publication, Kobach incorporated it into a New Hampshire meeting of the Commission.
"The official actions of government employees should be free from any actual or apparent influence from outside financial interests," CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said. "Secretary Kobach's conduct, however, appears to undermine that principle, and should be investigated to determine if it violated the federal conflict of interest statute."
Bookbinder added that "The law is clear that government officials cannot participate in matters in which they have a financial interest."
Earlier this month, a lawsuit against the commission and its leadership was filed by one of its members, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, according to CNN.
Dunlap, a Democrat, filed the lawsuit in the DC District Court alleging that the panel is not fairly balanced and is withholding key information from him.
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