The House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation into Rep Summer Lee, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, after a complaint was lodged on 22 July. The complaint, submitted by Jeremy Kazzaz, a resident of Pittsburgh and co‑founder of the Beacon Coalition, alleges that House resources were used improperly to promote progressive candidates and political causes.
Allegations about the Instagram account
The complaint focuses on an Instagram account called Dear White Staffers, which reportedly has more than 500,000 followers. Philip Bennett, who serves as Lee’s director of operations, is accused of managing the account. According to the complaint, the account was used for campaign work during regular office hours, posting frequently during normal work hours and endorsing candidates such as Abdul El‑Sayed and William Lawrence.
A post dated 14 July, co‑authored with activist Ariana Jasmine, called for ICE agents to hunt down and kill people linked to the Epstein files. The complaint says that such content is increasingly extreme and that the use of official staff time or equipment for political campaigning breaches House rules.
Background on Rep Lee’s record
Lee’s congressional district includes the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, the site of a 2018 mass shooting. Local rabbis have criticised Lee for her statements about Israel. In October 2023 she voted against a bipartisan resolution backing Israel’s right to self‑defence after the 7 October Hamas attack, and in November 2023 she opposed a resolution condemning campus support for terrorism. In 2024 she spoke at an event organised by the Council on American‑Islamic Relations, an organisation labelled a terrorist group by several states.
Responses
The House Ethics Committee has not provided a comment on the progress of the investigation. Lee’s office did not reply to requests for comment. Kazzaz said he filed the complaint because of concerns about transparency and the account’s increasingly extreme content.