Published: September 04, 2008 11:25 pm      

Ethics Commission reprimands Cargill, GOP committee

To date, no prosecuting agency is stating that they are reviewing a recent Oklahoma Ethics Commission report that issued five reprimands against Republican leaders.

The ethics commission has reprimanded House District 96 Rep. Lance Cargill , R-Harrah, the Republican State House Committee and the Oklahoma County Republican Committee for what it cites as multiple violations of the Constitutional ethics rules. It issued the reprimands Aug. 29.

Bob Troester, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oklahoma City, said Thursday that Justice Department policy does not allow the office to confirm or deny any pending investigations.

Emily Lang, a spokeswoman with the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, said the office had received case IV-2007-008, but “but did not find sufficient evidence to warrant criminal prosecution.”

The ethics commission based its conclusion on the testimony of four House members who learned checks they had written to the State Party Victory Fund were invested in “the coffers of the County Party.” Those House members included former Rep. Ray Vaughn of Edmond, Rep. Todd Hiett, Rep. Susan Winchester and Rep. John Trebilcock.

Vaughn told The Edmond Sun that he will not comment on the matter.

Cargill did not return a phone call to his home and cell phone by The Sun,

Cargill stepped down this past session as speaker of the House and then chose not to run for re-election this year. He is now serving as campaign manager for Republican Lewis Moore of Edmond, a candidate for District 96. Moore faces Democrat Dianne Hunter in the Nov. 4 general election.

“Simply put, this is a case of the redirection of campaign contributions intended for one party committee, to another, contrary to the intent of the donors,” the reprimand states. “It resulted in the contributors being made to support candidates against their conscience and in violation of several provisions of the ethics rules, which are designed to safeguard campaigns in Oklahoma.”

The document further states that $44,000 worth of surplus campaign checks given by certain Republican members of the House of Representatives and intended for the “Victory Fund” of the state Republican party were “re-routed to the Oklahoma County Republican Committee.”

The Victory Fund was to help Republicans in a 2004 statewide election effort. These campaign checks were used for different candidates and purposes than what was intended by the donors, according to the report.

“There was a deliberate intent to circumvent the law,” the reprimand states.

Oklahoma regulates the use of campaign funds. Contributions accepted by a candidate committee may not be converted for other political activity.

Cargill individually participated in the 2004 Victory Fund solicitation of Republican House members, the commission noted. Cargill was one of several House members who wrote campaign checks. Cargill’s $1,500 check was written to the Cargill for the House Committee on Sept. 14, 2004.

House members intended their checks to go to the state party, which had the Victory Fund, the reprimand stated.

“But, the checks were diverted,” according to the report. “Instead of the State Party — as was intended by the donors — they ended up in the coffers of the OCRC,” according to the Ethics Commission.

The reason was clear, the reprimand states. “Cargill told members that 2004 was the year the Republicans could win a majority of seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Like all elections, success requires money. Cargill felt that Victory Fund money raised from House members should be spent on House races.”

According to the Ethics Commission, the surplus checks were collected by Cargill “and/or his designees, agents or employees.”

The checks also could have been mailed to the state party, the commission stated. If so, they would have been received by Aaron Curry, the titular chairman of Republican State House Committee. Curry served both as RSHC chairman and treasurer from Jan. 5, 2003, to Jan. 28, 2005.

“The Commission has carried out the investigation of this information pursuant to its constitutional mandate to ‘investigate and, when it deems appropriate, prosecute violations of its rules governing ethical conduct of state officers, employees and state campaigns,” the commission stated.