In the midst of vouching for ex-President Donald Trump amid his legal troubles, and "increasingly acting out" during House committee hearings, according to CNN, US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) found time to publish her book, MTG, last year.
The Daily Beast reports there's no evidence that the far-right Georgia lawmaker has reported any of her earnings from the book.
“Even if she hasn't received any royalty payments, my understanding is that she's required to report anticipated royalties in some way," Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics' Robert Maguire, told the Beast.
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"Part of the problem here could be mixed messages from the Ethics officials in Congress,’” Maguire added. "But it seems pretty clear, just based on the rules, that any royalties, whether or not they've been received by the member, should be reported in some way on the financial disclosure.”
According to the Beast, Campaign Legal Center's Kedric Payne said a specific portion of the instruction manual "suggests members of Congress need to share more than" the MAGA congresswoman did.
"This includes any advances and contract payments in the form of earned income that have not yet been received for transfer of the intellectual property to the publisher, as well as any royalties currently due from the publisher for completed sales," the guide reads, according to the report. "When an interest in future royalties cannot be ascertained, it is acceptable to disclose the value as ‘undetermined.'"
Payne pointed out "that it’s the members’ responsibility to be transparent about their book deals," saying, "Anyone would expect that earnings from a book sale would be disclosed here, and it's up to the member to explain if there's any small exception that would exclude disclosing it."
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Greene's office told the Beast, "Congresswoman Greene’s book agreement was reviewed and approved by the House Ethics Committee and in 2023 there was no financial activity that required reporting."
The news outlet notes, "That could only be true if Greene received virtually no royalties for book sales in 2023, since the ethics committee instruction guide stipulates that members must disclose ownership interests in intellectual property worth more than $1,000 or that earned more than $200 of income."
The Daily Beast's full report is here (subscription required).
