Rep. Sanford Bishop's campaign directed $36,800 in June for"facility usage, golf packages, and catering" to Green Island Country Club, a"full-service" resort with a golf course"combining beauty and challenging elevation changes on many holes," according to financial disclosures and the club's website.
In July 2020, Bishop reimbursed his campaign over $66,300, though he hasn't faced penalties or fines for potentially misusing campaign funds. That same month, the House Ethics Committee approved a further investigation into the lawmaker's potential misuse of taxpayer and campaign funds. The panel, which members of Congress lead and is now chaired by Rep. Michael Guest , has not been vocal about the inquiry — though it is authorized to adjudicate official violations.
"Members of Congress should not only not put themselves in compromising situations, but they should also avoid the appearance of compromising situations," CEO Peter Flaherty of National Legal and Policy Center, another right-leaning watchdog, told the Washington Examiner."I think the congressman's donors would have been disappointed if they found out what he was actually doing with their contributions.
Moreover, the congressman told OCE investigators prior he thought he could use campaign cash to subsidize his $5,000 membership initiation fee at the club in 2014, and access at Green Island let him interact with"a segment of the public that I didn't ... I wouldn't rub shoulders with on the street."