Salon reported in January 2012 that campaign contributions to Patricia McKeon may be related to her husband's position as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Among these contributions was $1,000 from a federal lobbyist with ties to both the pharmaceutical and defense industries. This donation was made within one day of a $2,500 maximum donation to Buck McKeon's congressional re-election campaign.

Her husband, Buck McKeon, was named as having potentially received favorable terms on a 1999 home loan from Countrywide because of his position in congress. Under congressional rules this could have been determined to be a gift and therefore illegal. As treasurer of his campaign committee, Patricia McKeon accepted donations from Countrywide PAC, the political action committee of Countrywide, totaling $3,500, and an additional $13,500 went to 21st Century PAC, which was controlled by the McKeons.

McKeon received a salary from her husband's campaign committee. As a congressman, her husband Buck McKeon was prohibited from personally profiting from his campaign contributions. However there was no such prohibition against a spouse receiving such payments. Congressman McKeon said that "Patricia gets paid by the campaign as a senior staff member for handling multiple critical elements." The payments made from the campaign to Patricia McKeon were the highest among congressional representatives who paid family members.