A senior Democratic congressman doled out tens of thousands of campaign dollars to an exclusive private golf resort despite his prior activity at the club being linked to a long-running ethics investigation, records show.

Rep. Sanford Bishop's (D-GA) campaign directed $36,800 in June for "facility usage, golf packages, and catering" to Green Island Country Club, a "full-service" resort with a golf course "combining beauty and challenging elevation changes on many holes," according to financial disclosures and the club's website. But the Democrat's latest payment to the Columbus, Georgia, club comes after the Office of Congressional Ethics in 2020 found "substantial reason to believe" Bishop violated federal law in spending over $90,000 at the establishment and others on "fuel, golf expenses, meals, travel, tuition and entertainment," documents show.

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"Campaign donations should not be used as a tool for members of Congress to get access to swanky country clubs," Tom Jones, president of the American Accountability Foundation, a conservative watchdog group, told the Washington Examiner. "If they want to hobnob with rich neighbors, that should come out of their own pocket. Bishop's continued use of funds at this country club urges investigation by the FEC."

Since 2013, Bishop's campaign has paid over $368,000 to Green Island Country Club for things like "membership fees" and fundraising-related outings, disclosures show. The 16-term congressman admitted wrongdoing to OCE investigators in interviews after the nonpartisan entity, which reviews misconduct allegations against members and refers matters to the House Ethics Committee, issued its January 2020 findings on Bishop's seemingly "improperly" spending habits, the Washington Examiner reported.

In July 2020, Bishop reimbursed his campaign over $66,300, though he hasn't faced penalties or fines for potentially misusing campaign funds. That same month, the House Ethics Committee approved a further investigation into the lawmaker's potential misuse of taxpayer and campaign funds. The panel, which members of Congress lead and is now chaired by Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS), has not been vocal about the inquiry — though it is authorized to adjudicate official violations.

Green Island Country Club, which boasts a "Tiki Bar style Snack Shack" at its pool as well as eight tennis courts and five pickleball courts, first opened in 1962, according to its website. The resort houses a fitness center "outfitted with top of the line weight machines, free weights, and a full range of Matrix equipment, including treadmills, elliptical trainers, and four Peloton bikes," its website says.

"Members of Congress should not only not put themselves in compromising situations, but they should also avoid the appearance of compromising situations," CEO Peter Flaherty of National Legal and Policy Center, another right-leaning watchdog, told the Washington Examiner. "I think the congressman's donors would have been disappointed if they found out what he was actually doing with their contributions."

The Bishop campaign's June 2023 payment was earmarked under "fundraising."

It previously steered about $34,700 in 2022 and $36,500 in 2021 to Green Island Country Club for "facility usage, golf packaging, and catering," disclosures show. Spokesman Haig Hovsepian for the congressman told the Washington Examiner last July that the 2021 payment covered costs for the "Sanford Bishop Golf Classic, a specific campaign fundraising event held annually at the Green Island Country Club, and attended on August 16, 2021, by more than 200 people."

Bishop previously justified his campaign payments at the resort because the access gave him the opportunity to mingle with "CEOs, retired CEOs, chairman of bank boards, you know that type of thing. Who will be there with their family, retired executives from the power company. Various, you know, contributors," according to interview transcripts made public by the Ethics Committee.

Moreover, the congressman told OCE investigators prior he thought he could use campaign cash to subsidize his $5,000 membership initiation fee at the club in 2014, and access at Green Island let him interact with "a segment of the public that I didn't ... I wouldn't rub shoulders with on the street."

Speaking to investigators, an unnamed Green Island official had indicated that some of the club's amenities are not accessible to women. On its website, Green Island says it has a "Men’s Grill above the Men’s Locker Room."

"We are a country club that has golf, tennis, and food options," the person said. "Depending on your gender, we have two restaurants. If you're male, we have a third restaurant."

"He worked cooperatively with the Office of Congressional Ethics on the issues raised about his campaign’s finance reports and took immediate corrective action," Hovsepian told the Washington Examiner last year. "The Congressman proactively reimbursed his campaign and took other remedial measures. He has retained the services of an experienced compliance consultant and outside law firm to ensure full compliance."

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"The congressman acknowledges that mistakes were made by his campaign and that he should have provided better oversight on these matters," Hovsepian said. "This is a responsibility he does not take lightly."

Bishop's campaign, the House Ethics Committee, and OCE did not reply to requests for comment.