The House Ethics Committee announced Monday that it is investigating Rep. Lance Gooden, a four-term Texas Republican, following a referral from the Office of Congressional Conduct that was transmitted on June 10, 2026.
The committee’s public statement, issued jointly by Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) and ranking member Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), did not disclose the specific allegations or nature of the investigation. The committee noted that the mere fact of a referral does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred or reflect a judgment on the committee’s part.
The Office of Congressional Conduct, an independent investigative branch of the House, conducts preliminary fact-finding on allegations of misconduct and refers matters to the Ethics Committee when appropriate. Upon receiving a referral, the committee may dismiss the matter, conduct hearings, or initiate disciplinary proceedings, according to House ethics procedures established in 2025.
In 2021, the Campaign Legal Center, a government watchdog group, filed a complaint against Gooden alleging that he failed to disclose stock trades in a timely manner as required by the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act. That federal law requires members of Congress to disclose stock trades within 45 days of the transaction. The complaint was referred to what was then the Office of Congressional Ethics, the predecessor to the current Office of Congressional Conduct.
The STOCK Act, enacted in 2012, prohibits members of Congress from using nonpublic information obtained through their official duties for personal trading purposes and mandates timely disclosure of securities transactions. Since its passage, multiple members of Congress have faced scrutiny for alleged violations of the law’s reporting requirements.
The House Ethics Committee plans to release an update on its investigation into Gooden by November 9, 2026. Committee representatives declined to comment beyond the official statement. Gooden, who has represented Texas’s 5th congressional district since 2019, is the seventh member of Congress to be investigated by the committee this year, according to reports.
Sources
- Politico — Details on the Office of Congressional Conduct referral date and Gooden’s prior stock trade complaint history.
- Washington Examiner — Statement from Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest and ranking member Mark DeSaulnier; confirmation of the investigation announcement.
- Campaign Legal Center — 2021 complaint against Gooden for alleged failure to timely disclose stock trades under the STOCK Act.
- Congress.gov — Background on the STOCK Act requirements and congressional ethics procedures.
