(CNN Spanish) -
The Justice Department is investigating whether former Republican congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen allegedly mismanaged campaign funds in 2017, her lawyer Jeff Weiner confirmed to CNN on Thursday.
The lawyer said in a telephone interview that Ros-Lehtinen - who represented Florida between 1989 and 2019 and was the first woman of Hispanic descent to win a seat in the Federal Congress - is fully collaborating in the investigation.
"She feels horrible about this," the attorney said.
"That is why we are fully cooperating, because we are convinced that when everything is over, this matter will be resolved in her favor."
The investigation is confirmed almost a year after the non-profit organization Campaign Legal Center (CLC) asked the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to investigate an alleged mismanagement of funds in the reelection campaign of the former official in 2017 .
The CLC organization reported in October 2019 that although Ros-Lehtinen announced in early 2017 that he would not seek re-election, he allegedly transferred some $ 177,455 from his campaign committee to a Political Action Committee (PAC) that he led.
Also, CLC said that she subsequently used thousands of dollars in personal expenses such as hotel rooms, restaurants and even at the Disneyland amusement park.
PACs are interest groups created to raise money from their members, with the sole purpose of providing resources to candidates or political parties.
The defense of Ros-Lehtinen
Attorney Weiner said that the transfer of funds happened, that they were used to pay for campaign events and that they were "totally appropriate" expenses.
It also left open the possibility that campaign staff have made mistakes.
"For example, if a personal expense was not set aside and was paid for by the campaign or the PAC, and this was done wrongly, that is certainly not criminal, that happens all the time," Weiner said.
"And if a staff member made a mistake or didn't write down a personal meal, for something to say, and said, 'wait, the campaign or the PAC can't pay for that,' that's certainly not criminal."
The lawyer said his team was still collecting documentation and that he estimated that the investigation could be completed before December.
He indicated that he was certain that the Department of Justice could not find sufficient grounds to bring criminal charges against his client.
A request for comment sent by CNN to the Justice Department was not immediately answered Thursday.
Regarding the complaint filed by the CLC organization against Ros-Lehtinen before the FEC, the commission's spokeswoman, Judith Ingram, told CNN on Thursday that "we cannot comment on situations that could be carried out or that are pending."
Weiner added that Ros-Lehtinen "has not been charged with anything, we are dealing with it, we are cooperating and we are going to end this with Ileana's reputation intact."
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen