Rep. Summer Lee (D., Pa.) is facing an official ethics inquiry after a complaint alleged improper use of House resources and a controversial Instagram account to promote progressive candidates and political activities. The House Ethics Committee received a July 22 filing accusing Philip Bennett, Lee's director of operations, of operating the "Dear White Staffers" Instagram account to advocate for candidates like Abdul El-Sayed and spread content deemed inconsistent with House rules.
Ethics Complaint Details Alleged Misconduct
The complaint, submitted by Pittsburgh resident Jeremy Kazzaz, asserts that Bennett used the account, now with over 500,000 followers, to engage in campaign activity during work hours and promote "conduct not reflecting creditably on the House." It highlights a July 14 post co-published with activist Ariana Jasmine that called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to "hunt down and kill" individuals linked to the Epstein files. The post, which remains on the account, was amplified to hundreds of thousands of followers.
House rules explicitly prohibit using official resources, including staff time and equipment, for political campaigns. The complaint notes that "Dear White Staffers" frequently posts during standard work hours and has endorsed progressive candidates beyond El-Sayed, including Michigan congressional candidate William Lawrence.
Lee's Voting Record and Political Implications
Lee, whose district includes the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, site of a 2018 mass shooting, has faced criticism from local rabbis over her rhetoric on Israel. In October 2023, she voted against a bipartisan resolution supporting Israel's self-defense following Hamas's October 7 attack, which killed 1,200 people. The following month, she opposed a measure condemning campus support for terrorism. Lee also spoke at a 2024 event hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an organization designated as a terrorist entity by several U.S. states.
Kazzaz, a cofounder of the Beacon Coalition, a nonprofit combating antisemitism, told reporters he filed the complaint due to concerns about "transparency" and the account's "increasingly extreme" content. The House Ethics Committee has not commented on the probe's status. Lee's office did not respond to requests for comment.