U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele has been cleared of one congressional ethics allegation but faces another for allegedly posting hundreds of inappropriate social media posts while unsuccessfully running to become Hawaii’s next governor.
Kahele told the Board of the Office of Congressional Ethics that he alone managed his posts on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and acknowledged undergoing House ethics training and being provided House rules against using the House seal and images of the U.S. Capitol for campaign purposes.
In its investigation the board concluded that Kahele made misleading statements, failed to provide requested documents “and did not cooperate.”
The board recommended that Kahele be subpoenaed and that the House Committee on Ethics further investigate “because there is substantial reason to believe that Rep. Kahele misused official resources for campaign or political purposes or used campaign funds to defray official expenses.”
“During an interview with the OCE, Rep. Kahele conceded that his personal accounts were used for campaign purposes,” the board found. “Rep. Kahele indicated that he was the only one with access to these accounts, and when asked whether his ‘personal’ accounts included congressional campaign material, Rep. Kahele answered in the affirmative clarifying ‘(f)rom my congressional campaign.’
“Moreover, following his loss in the Hawaii gubernatorial primary, when he was also no longer running for reelection to Congress, Rep. Kahele made the campaign-utilized Instagram account private and no longer publicly viewable. This further suggests that the previously public social media account had served a campaign-related purpose.”
Kahele did not respond to a request for comment from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, but provided a letter to the Office of Congressional Ethics in which he contested the allegation that he misused “official resources” and said, “Myself and our team strive to uphold the highest ethical standards, and knowledge of the House Ethics and communications rules are a required element of our onboarding and staff training.”
The board did not substantiate a second allegation that Kahele abused his role as a Hawaiian Airlines pilot and member of the Air Line Pilots Association to exert undue influence through his congressional role.
But it was critical that Kahele failed to appropriately insulate his congressional work and legislation from his pilot role.
“The OCE found that Rep. Kahele failed to implement policies or procedures to account for the potential conflicts that might arise due to his close relationship with Hawaiian Airlines and their interests before Congress,” the board wrote. “Nevertheless, the OCE did not find that Hawaiian Airlines or ALPA exercised undue influence on Rep. Kahele.”
The board’s research did provide interesting information about Kahele’s finances.
When he was elected to Congress in 2020, Kahele was placed on part-time “Surfer Leave” from Hawaiian Airlines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before he was placed on “Surfer Leave,” Kahele earned $119,684.93 from his Hawaiian Airlines salary.
“For calendar year 2021, Rep. Kahele reported an annual salary from Hawaiian Airlines of $29,151.79,” the board found. “Rep. Kahele’s wife, who is also employed by Hawaiian Airlines as a flight attendant, reported a salary of $3,173.85. Additionally, Rep. Kahele holds two tax-deferred Hawaiian Airlines-sponsored Vanguard 401(k) accounts and a Hawaiian Airlines-sponsored Vanguard retirement savings trust with an aggregate value of $615,003 to $1,300,000.
“These Hawaiian Airlines savings accounts make up the largest share of his reportable assets, which otherwise consist of rental properties, a 529 account, and checking accounts,” the board reported.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported Kahele’s Congressional status.
