EXCLUSIVE: New York Congressional Candidate Accused Of Hiding Work For CNN, Leftist Orgs

New York Democratic congressional candidate Mondaire Jones violated federal law by failing to properly disclose income earned from CNN appearances and work with leftist organizations, according to a complaint filed by a government watchdog on Monday. 

The complaint alleges that Jones, who is challenging Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in New York’s 17th Congressional District, omitted several sources of earned income on his most recent financial disclosure that he included in an original financial disclosure covering a similar time period. This income included payments for CNN appearances as well as work with Democrat-aligned PAC Future Forward USA Action and Demand Justice, a left-wing group that wants to drastically change the Supreme Court. 

The complaint was filed with the House Committee on Ethics by the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a nonprofit organization that promotes transparency in politics. 

In his first financial disclosure from August 4, 2023, Jones noted that he had earned $34,022 as a CNN contributor, a $123,237 salary from Future Forward USA Action, $10,000 in consulting fees for Demand Justice, and $150 article payment from The Nation. His second financial disclosure from May 15, 2024, which was supposed to cover the period beginning January 1, 2023, left out his income from CNN, Future Forward, The Nation, and Demand Justice.

The only income Jones included was $12,000 from Mondaire Jones for Congress for 2024.

Jones also omitted from his second disclosure that he was a member of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), something that was included in the August 2023 filing.

“Unfortunately, two facts indicate that this was an intentional omission,” the complaint from FACT says. “First, the majority of information he omitted was related to political organizations or organizations that have positions with which voters may disagree. Second, in August and September 2024, Jones’ campaign was contacted by a reporter on three separate occasions asking about the information missing from his 2024 filing. Jones not only failed to respond, but he has yet to correct his filings.” 

The complaint says that the discrepancies were likely “a strategic political calculation,” and that Jones, a former congressman, likely understood how financial disclosures work. FACT asked for the House Ethics Committee to launch an investigation and impose any appropriate sanctions. 

Jones did not respond to requests for comment on the discrepancies. 

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FACT executive director Kendra Arnold told The Daily Wire that the discrepancies were a “clear” instance of something the House should investigate. 

“It is imperative financial disclosures represent the facts, not what the candidate wants the public to know—they are not political documents,” she said. “Any ethics violation is problematic, but violations committed for advantage in electoral politics should have an increased sting to the American people. The financial disclosure laws are of utmost importance and cannot be manipulated or disregarded for political gain.”