I'm not talking about Jimmy Carter and his activities. I'm talking about conflict of interest on the part of a public official, whether appointed or elected.
And I'm not talking about having Jeb remove Katherine Harris from her position as SoS. I'm saying that the top election official in a State (in this case and at that time, Katherine Harris) should not be an official, or even working, in an election in a partisan capacity that said official is overseeing. It's her job in the 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign that she should not have held.
Certainly Ms. Harris would have a partisan opinion in that election. Anyone would. But actually heading up an election committee is a far cry from just having an opinion. I consider that an immoral conflict of interest, regardless of whether or not it's legal.
The thread was about Carter.
Show me where Katherine Harris broke the law. All ballots had to be certified by the Secretary of State by 5 P.M. seven days after the election. No wiggle room. Her actions followed the law.
Someone has to certify elections. If it is an elected post, that person will very probably be a member of a political party. As such, that person probably attends conventions of their party, contributes financially to election campaigns, speaks out in favor of the candidates of their party, etc. Should we rule out all members of political parties from holding the office that certifies elections?
If the person who certifies elections is an appointed person, then it could be argued that they owe something to the person that appointed them, who was doubtless a member of a political party.
In the case of certifying an election, the appearance of impropriety is essentially impossible to avoid.