Lauren Boebert joined Cameo. Can members of Congress have side hustles?

Nov 26

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Ray Bogan Political Correspondent

By Ray Bogan (Political Correspondent)

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., made a Cameo account for what appears to be less than 24 hours. For that short period, fans of the Colorado representative could ask her a question or get a personalized birthday greeting for a starting fee of $250.

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It’s unlikely Boebert would have been able to keep the account, as House rules clearly forbid members from selling their influence. The House Ethics Manual states members cannot receive payment of money or a thing of value for an appearance, speech or article.

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The Office Code of Conduct for the House prohibits members from receiving any benefit “by virtue of influence improperly exerted from the position of such individual in Congress.”

In other words, you’re not allowed to make money off being a member of Congress.

There is an entire chapter on earned outside income in the House Ethics Manual. Long story short, it states – “the fundamental purpose of the restrictions and limit is to ensure that Members and staff do not use the influence or prestige of their position with the House for personal gain, and to preclude conflicts of interest.”

As mentioned, members can’t receive anything of value for making an appearance or speech.
They are barred from holding just about any second job except for practicing medicine.
They can write a book as long as the Ethics committee approves the publishing contract.

If a member is able to successfully navigate all those rules, their outside earned income limit is $31,815.

Of course, once members leave, those restrictions go away, and some have taken advantage of the fame they gained while serving. Perhaps one of the best examples is George Santos.

Santos joined Cameo after he was expelled from the House. He describes himself as a former congressional icon and is highly rated with 4.89 out of 5 stars. Santos charged as much as $500 per video and said he once made more money in a week on the platform than he did in an entire year in Congress, which has a $174,000 annual salary.

Matt Gaetz joined the platform after resigning from Congress and dropping out as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee. For $500, Gaetz will send a holiday greeting, birthday wish or a pep talk.

Of course Gaetz and Santos are former members, so they’re free to make all the videos they want, while Boebert is still obligated to follow the rules of the House.

Tags: George Santos, House of Representatives, Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, U.S. Congress

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., made a cameo account for what appears to be less than 24 hours. For that short period, fans of the Colorado representative could ask her a question or get a personalized birthday greeting for a starting fee of $250.

It’s unlikely Boebert would have been able to keep the account, House rules clearly forbid members from selling their influence. The House Ethics Manual states members cannot receive payment of money or a thing of value for an appearance, speech, or article.

The Office Code of Conduct for the House prohibits members from receiving any benefit “by virtue of influence improperly exerted from the position of such individual in Congress.”

In other words, you’re not allowed to make money off being a member of Congress.

There is an entire chapter on earned outside income in the House Ethics manual. Long story short, it states – “the fundamental purpose of the restrictions and limit is to ensure that Members and staff do not use the influence or prestige of their position with the House for personal gain, and to preclude conflicts of interest. ”

As mentioned, they can’t receive anything of value for making an appearance or speech. They are barred from holding just about any second job except for practicing medicine. They can write a book as long as the Ethics committee approves the publishing contract.

If a member is able to successfully navigate all those rules, their outside earned income limit is $31,815.

Of course, once members leave, those restrictions go away, and some have taken advantage of the fame they gained while serving. Perhaps one of the best examples is George Santos.

Matt Gaetz joined the platform after resigning and dropping out as Attorney General nominee. For $500, Gaetz will send a holiday greeting, birthday wish or a pep talk.

Of course Gaetz and Santos are former members, so they’re free to make all the videos they want, while Boebert is still obligated to follow the rules of the House.