An agency watchdog did not find evidence to support an allegation that former Speaker Kevin McCarthy broke federal laws when he requested carpenters in the Architect of the Capitol create eight gavels from fallen trees on the campus.
The California Republican hasn’t been a member of Congress for months, but the AOC’s Office of Inspector General investigated the claim, which surfaced as part of an internecine drama at the usually low-profile legislative branch agency.
Requests like McCarthy’s to repurpose fallen wood have gone on for years, an April 10 watchdog report found. While the process doesn’t save taxpayer money, the evidence did not prove that McCarthy improperly used government funds, the report states.
