The co-founders of ArkLeg Bill Tracker have filed a series of ethics complaints with the Arkansas Ethics Commission against several high-ranking state officials, including Attorney General Tim Griffin, Secretary of State Cole Jester, and Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge.
The complaints, filed on Sept. 19, allege a range of violations, including illegally excessive campaign contributions, money laundering through Political Action Committees (PACs), misuse of taxpayer-funded resources for political purposes, and the unlawful payment of a sitting state legislator for official actions.
Those named in the filings include:
-
Attorney General Tim Griffin
-
Lieutenant Governor Leslie Rutledge
-
Secretary of State Cole Jester
-
State Rep. David Ray
-
Base Point PAC
-
Jobs and Growth PAC (JAG PAC)
-
Gilmore Strategy Group PAC
ArkLeg co-founder Janie Ginocchio said the complaints highlight what the group sees as a breakdown of trust in state leadership.
“The evidence we are presenting to the Ethics Commission reveals a disturbing disregard for the laws that ensure transparency and fairness in our elections,” Ginocchio said. “When the officials entrusted with upholding our laws are the ones systematically breaking them, it erodes the very foundation of public trust.”
One of the allegations claims Rep. David Ray accepted more than $130,000 in campaign payments from Griffin during legislative sessions, while sponsoring bills that allegedly enhanced the authority of the Attorney General’s office.
Co-founder Scott Perkins said the group submitted what it believes is extensive proof.
“We have provided the Commission with a massive body of evidence, directly from the officials’ own filed reports,” Perkins said. “We are confident the Commission will conduct a thorough and impartial investigation. And today, we simply echo the words of a younger David Ray: ‘We hope that our state’s leaders and the justice system will hold [them] accountable.’”
The Ethics Commission has not yet announced whether it will move forward with an investigation.
CLICK HERE to read each individual complaint.
