The Committee announced that it was investigating claims that for years, the Long Island congressman failed to timely report stock transactions as required under the Stock Act and House rules.
The complaint notes that the complaint states that Suozzi did include the trades in his annual financial disclosure statements, but not the periodic reports.
“Campaign Legal Center respectfully requests that the Office of Congressional Ethics investigate Rep. Thomas Suozzi for a possible violation of the STOCK Act and House rules,” the complaint says. “From 2017 to 2020, Rep. Suozzi made approximately 300 stock trades with a total value ranging from approximately $3.2 million to $11 million.
“For four years, Rep. Suozzi traded stocks frequently, but did not file any (period transaction reports) as required.”
The complaint was filed with the US Office of Congressional Ethics last August, the Committee said, which expects to levy a decision on the matter by Friday, July 29.
“The Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics have jointly decided to extend the matter regarding Representative Thomas Suozzi, which was transmitted to the Committee by the Office of Congressional Ethics on (Monday) Feb. 28, 2022,” officials wrote in a statement.
“The Committee notes that the mere fact of a referral or an extension, and the mandatory disclosure of such an extension and the name of the subject of the matter, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the Committee.”
A spokesperson for Suozzi said that his “investments are managed through independent advisors with full discretion over all transactions."
“The Congressman does not control or direct these transactions,” they said. "The Congressman takes his disclosure obligations seriously. Every annual financial disclosure was filed and all periodic transaction reports will be filed on a going-forward basis.
“The Congressman would support legislation to ban lawmakers from trading stocks.”
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