Sen. Shelley Moore Capito says there is no ethical problem with vote for son's confirmation

By HENRY CULVYHOUSE/Mountain State Spotlight Mountain State Spotlight

Last week, the United States Senate confirmed a slate of around 100 nominees to the Trump Administration, among them former gubernatorial candidate Moore Capito.

Moore Capito’s mother, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., was among those voting in favor of the slate.

In a 51-47 vote, the Senate confirmed Capito as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. Matthew Harvey, a Jefferson County prosecutor, was confirmed as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District and state Sen. Mike Stuart was confirmed as general counsel to the Department of Health and Human Services.

In a press release following the vote, Capito congratulated Moore Capito and Harvey for their confirmations.

“West Virginians are fortunate to have two individuals of such high integrity and proven commitment to public service confirmed to serve as United States Attorneys,” she said.

She did not mention her relationship to Moore Capito in her comments.

During the summer, when the Trump administration announced the younger Capito’s nomination, the West Virginia Democratic Party accused the senator of voting in favor of the controversial Big Beautiful Bill to get her son the nomination.

While Senate rules do not prevent a member from confirming a relative to an appointed position, it does prohibit them from using their office to help a relative achieve financial gain.

In recent years, senators have handled the ethical quandary in different ways.

During the first Trump Administration, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., voted “present ” on the confirmation of his wife, Elaine Chao, for transportation secretary.

Earlier this year, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., voted in favor of his son-in-law ‘s confirmation for a post at the United States Department of Agriculture.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a watchdog group in the nation’s capital, said this appears to be a trend.

“This happening, not just once but multiple times in a matter of a few months, shows the shift away from adherence to the ethics rules and diminished concern about the appearance of how a senator’s official actions may unduly benefit their family’s personal interests,” said Cynthia Brown, CREW’s senior ethics counsel.

“This is problematic, especially in light of the public’s already low trust in Congress, which is only further harmed by actions like this,” Brown added

Capito’s office said she has done nothing wrong.

“The ethics are clear on this vote,” Kelley Moore, a spokesperson for Capito’s office, said. “Senator Capito has and always will abide by ethics standards.”

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This story was originally published by Mountain State Spotlight and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.