Real Accountability in Government

Government should work for the people, not wealthy special interests. The American people deserve leaders who serve with integrity, honesty, and transparency—not politicians who treat public office as a path to personal enrichment or special treatment. True accountability means restoring trust in government by eliminating corruption, ending backroom deals, and making it clear that no one—no matter how powerful—is above the law.

J. Gordon Mitchell stands for real reforms to clean up government and put power back where it belongs: in the hands of the people. That means:

• Banning corporate PAC money so that big businesses and special interests can’t buy influence in our elections.
• Ending dark money in politics by requiring full disclosure of all campaign donors and closing loopholes that allow hidden money to flood our democracy.
• Passing term limits for members of Congress to ensure fresh ideas and prevent career politicians from using their power for personal gain.
• Ending special treatment for members of Congress, including stricter rules against insider trading and self-dealing, and holding elected officials to the highest ethical standards.
• Ensuring that elected officials answer to the people, not the highest bidder.

Pete Sessions has always voted against these reforms and has a record of opposing greater transparency in government. Instead, he has benefited personally from policies that protect insider trading and allow members of Congress to profit from the very industries they are supposed to regulate. Sessions has regularly set policies that benefit the companies and industries in which he owns stock, putting his own financial interests ahead of his constituents.

As co-chair of the DOGE caucus in the House, Pete Sessions led a campaign of slash-and-burn budget cuts under the guise of “eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.” In reality, these cuts were a decades-old conservative wish list: defunding critical social safety net programs, gutting federal protections for disadvantaged and underrepresented communities, and enriching the already wealthy and powerful while leaving everyday Texans behind.

Sessions and his allies must be held accountable for their actions. This is not about politicizing the Department of Justice, but about enforcing the law and protecting the American taxpayer from abuse and corruption. There are serious questions about whether DOGE and its members may have violated federal laws, including:

• The Antideficiency Act (31 U.S.C. §§ 1341, 1342, 1350, 1351), which prohibits federal agencies and officials from making expenditures or incurring obligations in excess of appropriated funds or without congressional approval.
• The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. § 552a), which protects federal employees’ and taxpayers’ personal information from unauthorized access and disclosure.
• The Ethics in Government Act (5 U.S.C. App. 4 §§ 101-505), which sets standards for financial disclosure and conflicts of interest for federal officials.
• Insider Trading Sanctions Act (15 U.S.C. § 78u-1), which prohibits use of nonpublic information for personal financial gain.

Reports suggest that DOGE’s non-congressionally approved spending cuts and illegal access of federal databases may have violated these and other statutes, resulting in abuse of power and invasion of privacy of both taxpayers and federal employees.

J. Gordon Mitchell will fight to ensure that leaders like Pete Sessions are held to account—through congressional subpoenas, independent investigations, and, if necessary, Department of Justice action. This is about protecting our democracy, our taxpayer dollars, and the rule of law—not about political vendettas.TX-17 and the American people deserve a government that is accountable, transparent, and truly serves the public interest. J. Gordon Mitchell will always stand on the side of the people, demanding real accountability and putting an end to the culture of corruption in Washington.