Last night, the Baton Rouge Advocate reported that Governor Bobby Jindal, who ran on a platform of ethics reform and “ending corruption,” agreed to pay a $2,500 fine after being found with more than $118,265 in “misreported” donations from the Louisiana Republican Party. And today, the New Orleans Times-Picayune followed up with this story (an excerpt):
Sellers said Jindal’s campaign has already amended the disclosure report in question to reflect $118,265 that the Republican Party of Louisiana spent on direct mail from June 4 to 28 to promote Jindal’s candidacy.
The expenses were reported on a July 2007 campaign report filed by the party, but should also have been listed by Jindal’s campaign as an “in-kind” contribution, according to the original complaint.
Sellers said Jindal’s campaign was advised by its legal staff that the expenses might not have to be reported, but that the campaign decided to do so anyway out of an abundance of caution.
At first glance, this may seem innocuous, but it doesn’t bode well that Jindal would be willing to disguise a $118,265 direct mail campaign, purchased for him by the Louisiana Republican Party, as an expense– and not what it actually was: a contribution. It’s just not honest. And obviously, it doesn’t take a lawyer to figure that out. Indeed, the person who first recognized the discrepancy was a New Orleans public schoolteacher, Chris Stow-Serge (kudos).
By the way, everyone in Jindal’s camp seems to be admitting culpability, except for Roger Villere, chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party. He still doesn’t get it:
“We (the party) reported it. I don’t know why he had to report it,” Villere said. “To me, it is a misinterpretation of an accounting rule. I don’t know why he has agreed to pay the fine. I guess he just wants to move on.
Let’s put this into context: Just before Bobby Jindal, a man who ran on ethics reform, holds a special session to address ethics, he was fined for an ethics violation. In other words, he and his campaign violated ethics law, and they admitted it.
See also: Mike Stagg’s “Jindal Campaign Admits Campaign Finance Law Violation.”
CenLamar 