FORMER CONGRESSMAN CHARGED. STX. “Stockman is facing two charges of conspiracy to make campaign contributions and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission. He was arrested March 16 and later released on $25,000 bond. If convicted, Stockman faces federal prison.”
LEGO BATMAN CASE CLOSED. LAT. “A top government ethics official said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin should not be disciplined for plugging ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ — as long as he keeps his promise not to do it again.”
TWITTER AND ETHICS. ML. “A Washington, D.C.-based ethics group has filed complaints against U.S. Rep. Justin Amash and Donald Trump aide Dan Scavino for a Twitter dispute last week.”
WHO IS AT EAC? AG. “Thomas Hicks served a one-year term as chair of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) beginning in March 2016.”
AL: PROBABLE CAUSE. CW. “The scandal that has been sitting in murky Alabama political waters for over a year now comes face-to-face with Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley as the Alabama Ethics Commission voted yesterday evening that there is probable cause that Bentley violated state ethics and campaign finance law.”
MT: ELECTION COST. MTS. “With mail-only ballots to replace Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke in Congress off the table, Butte-Silver Bow officials must find extra money and judges to hold a traditional poll election next month.”
OR: DUCKING RULES. KXL. “According to the 2016 Campaign Finance Manual from the Elections Division at the Secretary of State’s Office, prohibited use of campaign funds include admission to a sporting event, concert, theater, or other from of entertainment. However it also says use of campaign funds are prohibited unless that event is part of a specific campaign or office holder activity.”
SC: TICKET QUESTIONS. TS. “Ethics forms filed last month show three Myrtle Beach City Council members received free concert tickets to the Carolina Country Music Festival, an event that recently was granted thousands in tax dollars in addition to thousands of dollars of city services.”
SD: CAMPAIGN FINANCE COME BACK. TPO. “Area lawmakers say two topics that will return during the 2018 South Dakota legislative session include campaign finance and additional juvenile justice reforms.”
VT: SEEKING INPUT. RH. “Secretary of State Jim Condos and Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced Tuesday that the recently formed Joint Committee on Campaign Finance Education, Compliance and Reform will hold several meetings through June.”
VT: ETHICS BILL MOVING. WT. “Vermont lawmakers are inching closer to creating an ethics commission and thereby taking Vermont off the list of a handful of states without an independent body that investigates ethics complaints in state government.”
HAVE A GOOD DAY.