A whistleblower has filed an official complaint alleging that U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Township) misused taxpayer funds to run campaign advertisements outside his congressional district while seeking the Michigan governorship.

The complaint, filed May 27 with the U.S. House Committee on House Administration, was submitted by Carl Berry, a former longtime police chief in Plymouth. Berry said he received unsolicited mass communications from James despite living in Michigan's 6th Congressional District, which is represented by Rep. Debbie Dingell.

The Allegations

According to the complaint, Google advertising database screenshots show James' official advertisements ran from May 18 through June 1 across the entire Detroit Designated Market Area. This area includes portions of seven congressional districts: the 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th.

The complaint includes two separate listings for the same advertisement:

  • One version was strictly limited to Michigan's 10th Congressional District, which includes Warren, Sterling Heights, Roseville, and Rochester Hills. That ad cost between $4,000 and $4,500 and reached up to 250,000 people.
  • A broader version ran across the full Detroit metro area. That ad cost between $6,000 and $7,000 and reached up to 450,000 viewers.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are permitted to use taxpayer funds for official communications within their district, a practice known as franking. The House of Representatives Communication Standards Manual states that unsolicited mass communications "must serve the district in which the Member represents" and that "best efforts must be made to ensure the communication is distributed to as few individuals outside the district as possible."

The complaint alleges James violated these rules by choosing the broader targeting option when a district-limited version was available.

Campaign Content Concerns

The complaint also alleges that James used his official communications for campaign purposes. Berry argued that the messaging in James' official ads closely matched content posted on James' gubernatorial campaign Twitter account.

"By intentionally targeting voters outside his Congressional District with messages he also uses in his campaign for Governor, he is using official resources to aid his campaign for Governor," the complaint reads.

Franking rules prohibit members from including "political and personal material" in official communications. That specifically includes "campaign content or electioneering" and "content developed using campaign resources."

James' Response

A spokesperson for James' office told the Michigan Advance that the advertiser's targeting error was corrected and no taxpayer funds were wasted.

"Our policy is that paid Congressional communications are targeted to communicating with the district in full compliance with all franking rules," the spokesperson said. "When the vendor here learned that their targeting on a YouTube video was incorrect, they didn't bill for it so no taxpayer funds were used."

As of June 2, all of James' current official advertisements on Google are geographically limited to the 10th Congressional District.

Primary Opponents React

James' rivals in the Michigan Republican gubernatorial primary quickly seized on the complaint.

Mike Cox, the former Michigan Attorney General, issued a press release attacking James.

"John James is using taxpayer dollars to run campaign ads in Detroit because he does not want to own his record of voting to put kill switches in cars," Cox said. "Michigan families work too hard to have their tax dollars turned into John James' personal campaign slush fund. He should apologize and pay every penny back to the taxpayers."

Cox's campaign manager, Teemu Garrity, added that James is using official resources because his campaign "can't afford to do it itself."

John Yob, a strategist with Perry Johnson's campaign, posted on X.

"John James fraudulently diverts taxpayer funds allocated for keeping his constituents informed to instead wasting those tax dollars promoting himself outside his district," Yob wrote. "His campaign is broke, desperate, and breaking the law/ethics."

Democrats Weigh In

The Michigan Democratic Party also criticized James.

"John James is using taxpayer money to benefit himself while his campaign is struggling in the polls and he's fighting with his primary rivals to try and get Donald Trump's endorsement," party spokesperson Derrick Honeyman said in a press release. "Once again, James has shown he can't be trusted as this GOP primary continues to get nastier and personal."

Not the First Complaint

This is not the first ethics issue involving James' campaign. In August 2025, a separate ethics complaint was filed against James over an event hosted and promoted by his congressional office that heavily featured signs promoting his gubernatorial campaign.

James represents Michigan's 10th Congressional District, which includes all of Warren as well as Sterling Heights, Roseville, St. Clair Shores, Fraser, Mount Clemens, Rochester, and Rochester Hills.

The complaint is now under review by the House Committee on House Administration.