“It is illegal to make false statements to a federal agency, including the Federal Election Commission, and that’s exactly what he did.” That was Josh Gregory, spokesman for Representative Mike Ezell, on Tuesday, after the Mississippi Republican’s campaign filed its answer to a complaint at the FEC.
The complaint came from Carl Boyanton, an independent running in the 4th Congressional District. He alleges that Ezell took $217,000 in illegal contributions tied to defense contractors that won a $951 million Coast Guard contract. It was filed in June and centers on members of the Chouest family, owners of Edison Chouest Offshore and Bollinger Shipyards.
The campaign’s answer
The Ezell camp calls the complaint fraudulent. Gregory said the campaign was “very confident” the commission’s Office of the Inspector General would handle the matter.
Spencer Ritchie, the campaign’s legal counsel, wrote to that office and went further. “These allegations are entirely baseless,” he said, accusing Boyanton of abusing the complaint process by “knowingly and/or willfully” making false claims. In his letter, Ritchie said “simple math” exposes the error: Boyanton, he argued, double-counted contributions to reach his figure.
He also pointed to Boyanton’s record. This midterm is the fourth consecutive federal election in which Boyanton has been a candidate, Ritchie noted, and not the first time he has filed what the campaign calls a baseless FEC complaint against the committee. “He is no novice,” Ritchie said.
The challenger
Boyanton answered on social media the same day. “Corruption in Mississippi politics isn’t something new,” he wrote. He said he left the party system because it “rewards corrupt politicians,” and added: “It’s a shame that we have become so indoctrinated by the parties that we will vote for corruption and are ok with billionaires buying our politicians.”
He has run for the seat every two years since 2020, this time as an independent. His three earlier bids were as a Republican. In 2020 he finished last in a four-man primary won by Steven Palazzo, with just over 9 percent. In 2022 he placed fifth among Palazzo’s six challengers with nearly 5 percent, then endorsed Ezell in the runoff, which Ezell won. Two years later he ran against Ezell and came second in a three-man primary, taking nearly 19 percent.
Ezell and Boyanton will meet on the November 3 ballot, along with Democratic state Representative Jeffrey Hulum.
