Oversight & ethics enforcement

House Ethics Committee issued a public letter of reproval to Rep. Judy Chu for interfering with its investigation, and found no evidence she knew staff did campaign work on official time, 2014

Confidence: Confirmed · 3 sourcesCalifornia · Oct 12, 2026

Subject of this story

Judy Chu, U.S. Representative, CA-28

Also named

Oversight

U.S. House Committee on Ethics

What happened

In report H. Rept. 113-665 (Dec 11, 2014), the House Committee on Ethics found that Rep. Judy Chu violated clause 1 of House Rule XXIII (conduct reflecting creditably on the House) by interfering with its investigation into whether her staff did campaign work on official time. The Committee found that after a staffer raised concerns about a memo prepared for an August 2011 campaign fundraising lunch, Chu emailed her Chief of Staff on March 20, 2012 with comments that could be viewed as an attempt to shape the staffer's testimony and that incorrectly suggested the event had an official component; and that she did not produce that email in response to the Committee's March 6, 2012 or August 23, 2012 requests, producing it on March 6, 2013 after a third request dated Feb 6, 2013. The Committee also found that her Chief of Staff and Legislative Director had directed staff to do campaign-related work on official time, but found no evidence that Chu was aware of it and did not find that she failed to supervise her staff. The Committee issued a public letter of reproval and closed the matter; the report records no other penalty. In her interview with the Committee, Chu said "I truly regret it." In a public statement reported by Roll Call, she said the Committee had acknowledged her intention "was to ease the staff member's anxiety" and that she had put additional ethics training and signed acknowledgment forms in place for staff.

Sources (3)

U.S. House Committee on Ethics, In the Matter of Allegations Relating to Representative Judy Chu (H. Rept. 113-665, Dec 11, 2014)For her violations of House Rules, the Committee has issued a public letter of reproval to Representative Chu.

U.S. House Committee on Ethics, committee reports page for Rep. Judy ChuDec 11, 2014. 113th Congress, House Report 113-665, In the Matter of Allegations Relating to Representative Judy Chu, Report of the Committee on Ethics.

Roll CallThe committee later determined Chu didn't know about the improper work, and therefore had not violated House rules. But investigators learned over the course of the probe that the three-term congresswoman talked to her staff about the probe.

Response

Judy Chu

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

What happened next (0)

No outcome recorded yet.

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