Yesterday, the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center filed a report accusing Cindy Axne of illegally hiding stock trades from public scrutiny.

Now, Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann is calling on the Office of Congressional Ethics to launch an investigation into these accusations.

On a press call this morning Kaufmann said, "Cindy Axne’s actions were deliberate and illegal, and she shouldn’t be allowed to pay a petty fine and walk away. We’ve never had this type of criminal activity from an elected official in Iowa before and we must take this very seriously."

The report sent to the Office of Congressional Ethics states:

• Axne purchased and sold more than 40 assets with a total value ranging from approximately $43,043 to $645,000 without disclosing the transactions which is a violation of the STOCKS Act and House rules.
• Axne's illegal activity was "unlikely to be merely an oversight." 
• Axne's trades, including Wells Fargo, Mastercard and Visa, took place while she was on the House Committee on Financial Services, which appears to be a conflict of interest. 
• "The criminal statute provides for a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to five years"

"Cindy Axne's actions are exactly what people hate about the swamp. Have any of you forgotten that you traded a half-million dollars," said Kaufmann. "It's my hope that the committee deal with Cindy Axne swiftly and justly, and not with just a slap on the wrist, to stop this sort of political corruption once and for all."

You can view the full press call here. 

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