Top Democrat Senator Faces Calls For Investigation After Bombshell Scandal Is Revealed

A top liberal Democrat in the U.S. Senate is being targeted by conservative activists online in response to an apparent pay-to-play arrangement involving himself, his wife, and some lucrative pieces of legislation.

The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a right-leaning ethics watchdog, first flagged a connection between Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and an environmental non-profit group controlled by his wife, Sandra Whitehouse, which was the beneficiary of legislation over the past several years that brought in as much as $12.2 million in federal funds, most of all of which were approved by the Senate.

FACT turned over evidence of the arrangement to Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), chair of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, with a request “to determine whether he violated the Senate ethics rules on conflicts of interest.”

Sandra Whitehouse has served as president of consulting firm Ocean Wonks LLC since 2017, according to a copy of her LinkedIn page reviewed by Fox News. Her work in the industry includes a prior 10-year tenure at Ocean Conservancy where she served as Senior Policy Advisor.

Since 2008, Ocean Conservancy has received at least $12.2 million in federal grants uncovered by FACT. Just last year, the organization received two grants totaling $5.2 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency related to ocean debris cleanup.

Both grants came from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a key initiative of the Biden-Harris administration that Sen. Whitehouse voted for. The EPA grant was funded through the agency’s annual appropriations bill, another piece of legislation taken up by the Senate.

“While these two grants alone appear to be a conflict of interest, it is even more egregious in the context of Senator Whitehouse’s long history of working on legislation being lobbied for by organizations tied to his wife,” wrote FACT Executive Director Kendra Arnold.

“Altogether, Ocean Conservancy has spent millions on federal lobbying expenses over the years on issues relating to oceans, climate change, and environmental cleanup—issues directly championed by Senator Whitehouse, a longtime member (and current Ranking Member) of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee and the co-founder of the Senate’s so-called ‘Oceans Caucus.”

According to tax records, Sandra Whitehouse has been paid $2,686,800 by Ocean Conservancy since 2010, either directly or via her consulting firm.

A spokesperson for the oceanic nonprofit lauded Sandra Whitehouse’s contribution to conservation efforts.

“Dr. Sandra Whitehouse, a well-respected marine ecologist and ocean policy consultant, has not received compensation from these federal grants allocated to Ocean Conservancy,” Ocean Conservancy’s Vice President of External Affairs Jeff Watters told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“For 40 years, Ocean Conservancy has been a global leader in marine debris cleanup through our signature initiative, the International Coastal Cleanup. The marine debris cleanup grants Ocean Conservancy received from NOAA came from laws passed with broad bipartisan support that then went through a competitive, independent selection process which designated Ocean Conservancy to be one among hundreds of NGOs to receive funding. Ocean Conservancy’s selection was based on our decades of expertise in addressing marine debris and protecting the ocean.”

The office of Sen. Whitehouse has not yet responded to a request for comment by the outlet.