WASHINGTON (TNND) — The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), an ethics watchdog group, on Monday demanded the Senate investigate Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., for allegedly accepting free housing.
Sen. Warnock has served as a senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta since 2005. The church, according to the letter, purchased a nearly $1 million home in 2022 which Sen. Warnock lived in “rent free.”
The senator failed to report this, as well as other outside income from the church, in his financial reports, according to the letter. This, FACT argued, violates Senate prohibition on gifts and financial disclosure requirements.
“The house provided has been described as a lavish five-bedroom home, with ‘a plethora of luxury accommodations, including a 100-bottle wine fridge, a Bluetooth-enabled stainless steel cooking range, custom crown molding, and a walk-in closet affixed to a ‘stunning’ European bathroom with a remote-controlled privacy curtain,’” the letter reads. “The home’s description also contradicts the purpose 23 behind the parsonage allowance, which is to provide modest accommodations that allow the pastor to concentrate their energy on fulfilling the church’s mission.”
“Even in the unlikely event that it was acceptable for Senator Warnock to receive the housing as part of his employment, he certainly must disclose the value of the housing on his financial disclosure form,” it continues.
Sen. Warnock’s office told The National News Desk the housing is a “benefit” and should not be counted as income.
“Reverend Warnock sought and received explicit approval from the bipartisan Senate Ethics Committee on this matter,” a spokesperson wrote. “The ministry-owned housing is not income. Rather, it is a customary benefit provided to the Senator because of his ongoing position as Senior Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, a position he has held for the past 20 years.”
The senator also has ties to the New Georgia Project, a nonprofit founded by former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams. That group agreed to a $300,000 penalty in January after admitting to violating state campaign finance law.
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