- Insider reported in 2022 that FEC commissioner Trey Trainor had been billed at a local GOP function as a “Trump Elections Team”.
- Following the report, the FEC Office of the Inspector General opened up an investigation.
- The group found no ethics violations but said that its investigation was hindered by Trainor’s counsel and their refusal to cooperate.
You can also find out more about the following: Office of the Inspector General of the Federal Election CommissionThe Federal Election Commission found Monday that Trey Trainor, a Commissioner of the Trump Elections Team, had not violated any ethical standards after participating in an “elections integrity” event.
In 2022 Insider reportedTrainor was described as a Trump team member in a post on Facebook by the Denton County Republican Party.
After the report was released, the Office of the Inspector General of the FEC launched an investigation into Trainor’s perceived ethical impropriety. While it may seem that he acted inappropriately, they claim his billing was created without his knowledge and undermines “any appearance” of impropriety.
Trainor and his attorney refused to cooperate in the investigation by the FEC Office of the Inspector General, resulting in “uncertainty’ regarding the investigation’s findings.
The report stated that “Neither the OIG nor Commissioner Trainor responded to the numerous attempts by the OIG over a period of several months to schedule an appointment.” His lack of involvement hampered the OIG’s attempts to gather relevant information and led to uncertainty regarding the conclusions in the investigation.
The Office of the FEC Inspector General’s report notes that Trainor’s failure to cooperate in the investigation went against the advice of former FEC Chair Allen Dickerson and current FEC Commissioner Allen Dickerson. Dickerson sent an email message to all FEC employees on March 20, 2022 reminding them of their “duty to co-operate with OIG.”
Because of his and his attorney’s failure to cooperate, the FEC Office of the Inspector General ultimately said it “was unable to conclude with certainty whether Commissioner Trainor complied with the relevant ethical standards concerning participation in matters involving the Trump 2016 campaign and related entities due to his lack of participation in this investigation.”
The FEC Office of the Inspector General concluded the investigation by making “no recommendations to the Commission or FEC Management,” but it did send potential Hatch Act infractions and “allegations of inappropriate partisan political activities to the Office of Special Counsel.”
