The House Committee on Ethics will review allegations that U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn misused official resources for personal purposes following findings by a separate congressional ethics office that the eight-term Colorado Springs Republican may have violated federal laws and House rules.

A report released Monday by the Office of Congressional Ethics recommended further review by the bipartisan panel of lawmakers after determining there is “substantial reason to believe” congressional staffers were required to perform tasks for the Lamborn family and his campaign, including picking up mail, setting up Zoom meetings, moving furniture and planning a party for the lawmaker’s daughter-in-law to celebrate her becoming a naturalized citizen. The report also said it appeared as though Lamborn “solicited or accepted improper gifts from subordinates.”

A Lamborn spokeswoman called the allegations “false and unfounded” and said her boss expects to be cleared by the ethics committee.

A statement issued Monday by the ethics panel’s chair and ranking Republican member warned against drawing any conclusions about the committee agreeing to take up the ethics watchdog’s recommendations under the committee’s rules.

“The committee notes that the mere fact of conducting further review of a referral, and any mandatory disclosure of such further review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the committee,” the statement said.

The allegations surfaced last spring in a lawsuit filed in federal court by a former Lamborn staffer who accused the lawmaker of taking a lax approach to safety during the early months of the COVID pandemic. The lawsuit said congressional staff often ran personal errands for Lamborn and his wife and helped one of Lamborn’s sons apply for federal jobs, including one he eventually secured at the Pentagon. The lawsuit also accused Lamborn of letting his son live rent-free in the basement of the U.S. Capitol.

Cassandra Sebastian, Lamborn’s communications director, characterized the investigation conducted by the Office of Congressional Ethics as “overzealous” and said its investigators refused to consider that the office was “being used” by a former employee who was trying to “secure his financial jackpot.”

Citing a December letter from Lamborn’s attorney rebutting the charges, Sebastian said: “It is extremely disappointing that two disgruntled former staffers have weaponized the ethics process for political and personal purposes. Congressman Lamborn intends to cooperate fully with the bi-partisan House Committee on Ethics, just as he did with all reasonable requests of the OCE. He remains certain the committee will ultimately reach the appropriate decision by dismissing the OCE’s referral and he expects to be fully exonerated.”

Lamborn’s attorneys said, “A thorough review of the facts will make it clear to everyone that no ethical violation has occurred, and the same should be dismissed.”

Sebastian didn’t respond to a request to interview Lamborn about the report.

Among other allegations the ethics office recommended investigating further, the report said Lamborn’s wife, Jeanne, who has long managed his political campaigns, “had a role in the office that exceeded what is permissible for spouses.” Lamborn told investigators his wife played “a substantial role” in his congressional office, including hiring and firing employees and weighing in on job assignments.

Lamborn acknowledged receiving gifts from staffers on a regular basis but maintained that he and his wife “do the same for our staff.”

Current staffers told investigators they understood their contributions to buy gifts for the boss and his wife were voluntary, but the report said “some prior staffers told the OCE that the gift giving was obligatory.”

Investigators, however, didn’t find any evidence that staffers received the same kind of gifts as those bestowed upon the Lamborns, which were described “usually related to beer and food” and cost between $150 to $200.

The ethics office recommended subpoenaing Lamborn and four others it said failed to cooperate with the investigation, including Dale Anderson, Lamborn’s chief of staff, who refused to sit for any interviews with investigators.

Lamborn’s attorneys pushed back against the suggestion their client is uncooperative, stating, “Besides being insulting, it’s simply not true.” The attorneys said they advised Lamborn not to comply with the office’s “fishing expedition” by providing approximately 700 pages detailing every congressional staffer’s daily activity, which they say also contained private constituent information.

One of Lamborn’s primary challengers, state Rep. Dave Williams, R-Colorado Springs, called on Lamborn to resign “for the good of the community” in the wake of Monday’s report.

“The findings of these congressional investigators are troubling to say the least and demonstrate a culture of corruption that should not be tolerated,” Williams said in a statement. “The voters never elected Lamborn to enrich himself off the backs of the taxpayers. If he refuses to step down for the good of our community, then I look forward to working with voters to retire this corrupt establishment politician come June.”