Both candidates for New York's 18th Congressional district said the other's campaign attacks on their children and old social media accounts are "beyond the pale."
Republican candidate Jackie Auringer filed an ethics complaint this week alleging Democratic Representative Pat Ryan’s primary residence is in Washington DC and not in the Hudson Valley. It criticizes Ryan for spending more than $60,000 dollars in lodging reimbursements since 2023.
The complaint says the Auringer campaign obtained "social-media material connecting members of the family to a residential property on Capitol Hill."
The Ryan campaign clapped back, calling it “a bogus claim” “from a failing candidate desperate for attention,” and says Ryan’s primary residence has been Gardiner, NY for over a decade.
Ranking Member Joe Morelle from the House Administration Committee said in an email about Ryan’s reimbursement, that they “have been consistently reviewed and approved” by the chief administrative officer of the House of Representatives. He also said Ryan's primary residence is in his Congressional district.
The Auringer campaign also said in the complaint they have "independently obtained evidence" that Ryan's children go to school in D.C.
Ryan said in a statement, “my opponent's fixation and attempts to dox my ... children are beyond the pale and jeopardize their safety.”
Ryan’s campaign pointed to an old YouTube account by Jackie Auringer made in 2009 with playlist names he characterized as racist and homophobic.
The Auringer campaign said Ryan is desperate "not to talk about bilking taxpayers of over $60 thousand dollars."
Ryan's campaign called Auringer's attack "immensely hypocritical, considering she’s been living in Florida the last five years, taking selfies with Roger Stone and Matt Gaetz in Mar-a-Lago."