(Texas) GOP files ethics complaint against Laney

TexasGOP.org ^ | May 5, 2004

[SwinneySwitch]

The Party Line: May 5, 2004

The Republican Party of Texas today filed a complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission accusing former House Speaker and current State Representative Pete Laney of "laundering" nearly $1.7 million in political campaign contributions for personal benefit.

As first reported by Texas Digest.com, from 1995 to 2003, Laney has paid himself $1,698,683 from his campaign account to operate and maintain his personal aircraft, an 8-passenger 1979 Piper Cheyenne II valued between $500,000 and $750,000.

"A federal grand jury indicted former Attorney General Dan Morales for converting $400,000 in political funds to buy a swanky West Austin home," said Texas GOP Chairman Tina Benkiser. "Mr. Laney’s pocketing of $1.7 million for a personal airplane deserves the same high level of scrutiny from the Ethics Commission and the press. These outrageous sums simply don’t pass the smell test."

In 2000 alone, Rep. Laney paid himself $235,000 for use of his plane. Aircraft experts contacted by Hill Research Consultants, a firm that investigated the former Democrat Speaker’s expenditures, said those expenses would have required the plane to have been in the air more than an hour a day, every day of the year. Even weekly roundtrips from Mr. Laney’s home in Hale Center to Austin would account for no more than one-quarter of that year’s expenditures. Mr. Laney’s reimbursements do not appear to differ appreciably whether the House is in session or out.

On top of the $1.7 million he already swiped, Rep. Laney has structured ownership of the plane in a way that will allow him to keep 100% of the profits when he sells it.

The Texas election code says that "a person who accepts a political contribution as a candidate or officeholder may not convert the contribution to personal use… includ[ing] the personal use of an asset purchased with the contribution and the personal use of any interest or other income earned on the contribution."

Rep. Laney has never produced any evidence to verify that his reimbursements are for legitimate officeholder travel. His Ethics Commission filings simply list aggregate monthly totals for "travel expenses" and do not give any specific justification for the $5,000 - $29,000 checks made out to himself each month.

Nor has he explained why he needed to purchase hundreds of tickets on Southwest Airlines according to Ethics Commission reports, when he is evidently flying non-stop in his own private aircraft. Mr. Laney purchased 88 airline tickets in 1998 alone, while at the same time reimbursing himself over $170,000 for use of his private plane.

"As a self-described champion of ethics reform, Laney should voluntarily disclose detailed travel agendas and itemized expenditures that justify these highly questionable reimbursements," said Benkiser. "Texans deserve to know whether Pete Laney is illegally feathering his retirement nest with millions of dollars from special interests."

[SwinneySwitch]

Give 'em hell, Tina!

[Dog Gone]

I'm sure Travis County D.A. Ronnie Earle will seek an indictment. < /sarcasm>

[MeekOneGOP]

(Texas) GOP files ethics complaint against Laney

Excerpt:

The Republican Party of Texas today filed a complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission accusing former House Speaker and current State Representative Pete Laney of "laundering" nearly $1.7 million in political campaign contributions for personal benefit.

As first reported by Texas Digest.com, from 1995 to 2003, Laney has paid himself $1,698,683 from his campaign account to operate and maintain his personal aircraft, an 8-passenger 1979 Piper Cheyenne II valued between $500,000 and $750,000.

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my Texas ping list!. . .don't be shy.
No, you don't HAVE to be a Texan to get on this list!

[mathluv]

I bet you are holding your breath until that happens, aren't you!

[Dog Gone]

It might be difficult to hold my breath until hell freezes over. ;-)

[mathluv]

LOL!!!!!

[Arrowhead1952]

I'm sure Travis County D.A. Ronnie Earle will seek an indictment. < /sarcasm>

I'm sure the Austin Ultra-Liberal Non-Statesman Pravada will carry this on page A-1 above the fold in tomorrow's paper as well. </ sarcasm>

This sentence really get me. Talk about double dipping......

On top of the $1.7 million he already swiped, Rep. Laney has structured ownership of the plane in a way that will allow him to keep 100% of the profits when he sells it.

[BJClinton]

Is there any way to get a sitting DA removed? Just curious.

[Zack Nguyen]

The State Republican Executive Committee called on the Texas Legislature to remove jurisdiction of investigations of state elected officials from the Travis County DA, and give it to the State Attorney General, where it probably belongs anyway.

We'll see what the legislature will do.

[Dog Gone]

Not that I know of.

[Theodore R.]

When Bush was elected president, he had Laney in a prominent position regarding the inaugural activities. He hailed Laney as a bipartisan person who had helped him immensely in his governorship. Apparently, Laney voted for Bush over Gore. Now that Laney is no longer speaker, he may be a little more Democrat in his thinking.

[deport]

Laney's plane was also used and the one that the Repubs supposedly had tracked when the dems went to Ardmore OK....

[MeekOneGOP]

bump !

[ConservativeLawStudent]

Pete Laney is an alright for a Dem. He was fair as Speaker until we finally took control of the House. I hope everthing works out alright for him.

[jf55510]

Pete Laney is an alright for a Dem. He was fair as Speaker until we finally took control of the House. I hope everthing works out alright for him.

I hope that they nail his ass to the wall. As long as the Dems are using Ronnie Earle to get back at Republicans because they lost power I expect the Republican Party of Texas and every other republican leader to go after every Dem over the smallest oversight.

[barkeep]

Well, go with what you got. This will do as a reason to fry his butt. What we should have gotten on his case about was the whole redistricting mess. I literally sat in the balcony during the '01 session and watched Laney nod off and nap for a good half hour of floor debate. He had the votes in the bag and knew it.

Not unexpectedly, the court was less than amused at having this dumped in their laps, and essentially went with the '91 map, carving out the two new seats we earned by population growth (some of it actually legal, but that's another essay).

I have thrown in with Gina Parker this time, but we will be well served by either candidate, and this action does have me doing sis boom bah rah rahs for Tina.

And by the bye, I am sure Ronnie will prosecute about the same time he busts the Chuey's bartender who served Bush's daughter and then ratted her. My handle is for real, I am a long time barkeep and I know the TABC law book better than most county attorneys.

[Dog Gone]

I am sure Ronnie will prosecute about the same time he busts the Chuey's bartender who served Bush's daughter and then ratted her.

ROFL, yes I'm sure you're right.