New York Democratic congressional candidate Mondaire Jones is accused of violating federal law by failing to disclose income from CNN and leftist organizations, according to a complaint filed by a government watchdog on Monday.
The complaint claims that Jones, who is running against Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in New York’s 17th Congressional District, did not report multiple sources of income in his latest financial disclosure, which he had previously included in an earlier filing for the same time period. This unreported income consists of payments for CNN appearances and work with the Democrat-aligned PAC Future Forward USA Action and Demand Justice, a progressive group advocating for significant changes to the Supreme Court.
The complaint was submitted to the House Committee on Ethics by the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a nonprofit focused on political transparency.
In his initial financial disclosure from August 4, 2023, Jones reported earning $34,022 as a CNN contributor, a $123,237 salary from Future Forward USA Action, $10,000 in consulting fees from Demand Justice, and $150 from The Nation. However, his subsequent disclosure on May 15, 2024, covering the period from January 1, 2023, omitted these income sources.
The only income listed in the second disclosure was $12,000 from his campaign fund for Mondaire Jones for Congress for 2024.
Additionally, Jones did not mention in his second disclosure that he was a member of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a detail included in the August 2023 filing.
“Unfortunately, two facts indicate that this was an intentional omission,” the complaint from FACT says. “First, the majority of information he omitted was related to political organizations or organizations that have positions with which voters may disagree. Second, in August and September 2024, Jones’ campaign was contacted by a reporter on three separate occasions asking about the information missing from his 2024 filing. Jones not only failed to respond, but he has yet to correct his filings.”
The complaint suggests that the discrepancies were likely a “strategic political calculation,” noting that Jones, a former congressman, should be familiar with the rules surrounding financial disclosures. FACT has requested that the House Ethics Committee conduct an investigation and consider appropriate sanctions.
Jones did not respond to inquiries regarding the discrepancies.
FACT’s executive director, Kendra Arnold, stated to The Daily Wire that the inconsistencies present a “clear” case warranting investigation by the House.
“It is imperative financial disclosures represent the facts, not what the candidate wants the public to know—they are not political documents,” she said. “Any ethics violation is problematic, but violations committed for advantage in electoral politics should have an increased sting to the American people. The financial disclosure laws are of utmost importance and cannot be manipulated or disregarded for political gain.”
