Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin investigated for allegedly using taxpayer money for personal travel

An ethics complaint against Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin was filed Wednesday with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics for allegedly embezzling taxpayer money.

Americans for Public Trust, which seeks to hold politicians accountable for corrupt or unethical behavior, says Baldwin used public funds to travel from Wisconsin to New York and visit her partner, Maria Brisbane, in November 2020.

"Here, public reporting indicates that Senator Baldwin has run afoul of these prohibitions by expending taxpayer dollars for exclusively personal travel to New York — a geographic location well outside of Wisconsin, and far from the constituency that she represents," the complaint states.

The organization notes that although Baldwin reimbursed the federal government $630 for the trip, she did this only after the media asked her questions about it. Americans for Public Trust also stressed that this reimbursement does not clarify if other trips that the senator made since 2018 to New York were with taxpayer money.

"It remains unknown if these trips were also made for personal reasons, and as such, also require investigation," the text says, stressing that Baldwin should justify all these trips. The organization also asks that the ethics committee conduct an audit of other office costs that might be relevant to a potential investigation.

"We therefore implore the Senate Select Committee on Ethics (...) to undertake an immediate investigation to halt any present and future instances of Senator Tammy Baldwin’s use of public office for personal benefit and ensure and safeguard the public trust," the Americans for Public Trust said.