Bill Nelson draws ethics complaint for Russian election hack talk

Days after the the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security asserted, contrary to Sen. Bill Nelson‘s assurances, that there was no proof of current Russian interference in Florida elections, the Senator drew an ethics complaint in the United States Senate.

The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) filed a complaint with Senate Ethics, contending that in discussing potential Russian interference in Florida elections, Nelson was guilty of either “disclosing classified information or improper conduct.”

Nelson claimed that Russians “have already penetrated certain counties in [Florida] and they now have free rein to move about,” including in voter databases and even in voting machines.

“Nelson made these declarations with the authority and credibility of the Senate, which has access to classified information not made available to the public,” the complaint asserts. Yet, there is no publicly known evidence supporting the veracity of Nelson’s remarks.”

“Consequently, it appears either Nelson’s claims are based upon, and discloses, classified information he obtained from his position as a Senator, or evidence does not exist and his statements were false. In either instance, it appears that Nelson has violated Senate Rules and Regulations,” the complaint adds.

The remarks have been a flashpoint in the Senate race between Nelson and Gov. Rick Scott, which Scott and political allies urging Nelson to “come clean” and elaborate further on his claims.

Indeed, there is some indication that the complaint itself may be politically charged.

OpenSecrets.Org describes FACT as “a conservative counterweight to watchdog groups viewed as more left-of-center,” funded with dark money from principals like Charles Koch.

Nelson has been dinged with politically-charged ethics complaints from the right before in this cycle.

Nelson spox Ryan Brown didn’t make much of this latest: “This is nothing more than a politically motivated attack by a politically motivated group trying to create a political sideshow.”