Jennifer-Ruth Green announces run for Congress despite being under investigation for ethics violations

INDIANAPOLIS — Just one day after Governor Mike Braun announced his plan to try and redraw congressional districts to flip the few Indiana Democratic seats into Republican seats, Braun’s former secretary of public safety, Jennifer-Ruth Green, announced her intention to campaign for the 1st Congressional District.

Green has faced increased scrutiny since resigning from her position as secretary of public safety and the executive director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security in early September. Green was appointed to her role in January by Braun, but resigned under a wave of controversy.

The Indiana inspector general has accused Green of violating the Indiana Code of Ethics 10 times during her short stint in office. According to the ethics complaint filed by Inspector General Jared Prentice, Green is accused of violating the ghost employment rule on multiple occasions, misusing state property, using her state title to sell in-person training seminars and a book and threatening employees with demotion or termination while also allegedly making “derogatory” and “demeaning” comments.

The inspector general also accused Green of breaking a political activity ethics rule by asking state employees to generate content and proofread posts for her “Elect Jennifer-Ruth Green” Facebook group.

Coincidentally, it was on Facebook on Tuesday morning that Green announced her campaign for Congress. Green’s announcement to try and flip the long-held Democratic Congress seat in Northwest Indiana was featured on Fox News. The report made no mention of the Indiana inspector general’s accusations against her.

The 1st Congressional District is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, a Democrat. Green ran against Mrvan in 2022, but lost by five percentage points.