The Federal Election Commission is examining a complaint against Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) alleging she reaped improper housing benefits from the University of California, Irvine.
Last week, the Committee to Defeat the President, an anti-Biden political action committee, filed the complaint, arguing she was benefiting from de facto “subsidized affordable housing” despite no longer working there full time — assertions her campaign adamantly rejected.
KATIE PORTER HIT WITH FEC COMPLAINT FOR ALLEGEDLY REAPING UC IRVINE HOUSING BENEFITS
The FEC acknowledged receiving the ethics complaint in a reply to the PAC Wednesday, indicating that it is looking into the matter.
“Today, the Committee to Defeat the President — one of America’s leading anti-Biden super PACs — is proud to announce that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) is opening an investigation into Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), who was recently accused by the Committee of benefitting from an illegal campaign contribution,” the Committee to Defeat the President said in a statement obtained by the Washington Examiner.
Employees at UC Irvine are allowed to acquire a home on University Hills, which features prices that are “significantly below the median home price in Irvine,” per the group’s complaint. Porter purchased the home there while working at the institution and has been on unpaid leave since 2019 after winning her first election to Congress.
Prices on University Hills are kept below market rates because the “university maintains ownership of the land and leases it to the homeowners,” according to a UC Irvine spokesperson. The institution has defended Porter, underscoring that she is a “UCI faculty member on an approved leave without pay,” and rejects the characterization of the arrangement as “subsidized housing.”
Porter’s campaign contended she was compliant with the law.
“Congresswoman Porter is fully compliant with UC policy and precedent, House ethics, and relevant state and federal law. As the university has noted, all faculty on unpaid leave can stay in University housing,” spokeswoman Lindsay Reilly previously said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
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Porter has emerged as a progressive star, often going viral in videos for grilling corporate executives and government officials to root out corruption. Earlier this month, she announced her 2024 California Senate campaign, becoming the first major heavyweight Democrat in the state to do so.
Her colleague, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), announced his campaign for the same Senate seat Thursday. Meanwhile, incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has declined to unveil her plans, teasing that she will make her intentions public within the “coming months.”
