The findings from July were released Monday when the House Ethics Committee announced that it would continue to review the matter. The committee is not expected to conclude its inquiry or render a judgment before Blum leaves office and its jurisdiction in the matter expires Jan. 3. Tin Moon also used one of Blum’s top staffers in a “false testimonial for its services” that was posted online, the AP reported. A video testimonial that appeared on the site in 2016 featured Blum’s then-district director John Ferland representing himself as a small-business owner and encouraging others to “take a look at Tin Moon,” the OCE found. Blum has said the use of his official photo and the video testimonial were “done and posted without my knowledge or permission.”“Those matters were unknown to me,” he wrote to Ethics Committee leaders in August.

Source: Washington Post December 17, 2018 22:44 UTC