Guess Who's Aready Back Working on Capitol Hill?

Former Utah House Rep. Walker hones his obvious raw natural talent

Check out this eye-opening story from the Deseret News this morning, regarding former House Representative Mark Walker, who plead guilty last week to criminal charges which amount to the misdemeanor equivalent of bribery. Well, this morning's story reports that Mr. Walker's already working back up on The Hill, and you'll never guess what he's doing. We incorporate Lisa Riley Roche and Bob Bernick Jr.'s explanatory lead paragraphs below:

One day a misdemeanant, the next day a lobbyist.
Former Utah House member and GOP state treasurer candidate Mark Walker, who recently made a plea in abeyance to a misdemeanor charge associated with his offering a fellow Republican a big pay raise to drop out of the state treasurer's race, has become a paid lobbyist.
Walker, who did not return telephone calls for comment, is newly registered as a lobbyist for another lobbying firm; SelectHealth, a health insurance company; Southwest Ambulance; and the Utah Subcontractors Council.
By becoming a lobbyist now Walker not only provides some income to his family, he also dodges a possible upcoming ban on former legislators becoming a lobbyist for a period of time.

Too Perfect. Definitely the ideal gig for Walker.

The kid previously demonstrated a raw natural talent for throwing the money around, and from here on out, it will all be perfectly legal.

SL Trib: Walker Guilty in Treasurer-race Case

Former Utah Legislator enters plea in abeyance; plea agreement also requires full disclosure re other possible co-perpetrators under oath

By Curmudgeon

Here's something interesting, that just went up on the SL Trib website:

• Walker guilty in treasurer-race case

Mr. Walker --- a former Utah state legislator [Republican of course] entered what is known in the better coffee houses and watering holes of Ogden and Salt Lake City as a "Craig Plea" to a Class B misdemeaner for attempting to bribe someone to stay out of the race for state treasurer, which Mr. Walker also entered. A "Craig Plea" [named after the former Senator, Republican of course, from Idaho] is one in which the perp pleads guilty while simultaneously insisting he didn't do it. From the story:

Former state Rep. Mark Walker pleaded guilty Friday to a class B misdemeanor charge stemming from allegations that he offered a hefty raise to Richard Ellis, his rival in the June Republican primary for state treasurer. [...]
Despite the plea, Walker and his attorney dispute allegations that Walker offered Ellis a $55,000 pay increase -- in essence, a bribe -- if Ellis withdrew his candidacy. [...]
Walker's plea in abeyance, entered before Salt Lake City Justice Court Judge John Baxter, means the charge -- "inducement not to become a candidate" -- will disappear from court records in 12 months if Walker complies with the agreement's terms.
In addition to paying a $250 fee and completing 100 hours of community service, Walker agreed to provide, under oath, full disclosure regarding others linked to the events that transpired between the two candidates.

And the beat goes on....

Breaking News: The Politically Clumsy GOP Former House Rep. Mark Walker is Finally Charged With a Misdemeanor

Per the D-News: One misdemeanor charge filed against Mark Walker in treasurer's race probe

In order to avoid killing off the lively discussion in the lower article thread, we'll walk lightly on this, even though this another story we've covered fairly extensively earlier. The long and short of it is detailed in this afternoon's Deseret News article:

• Charge filed in treasurer's race probe

Does this development signal hope for ethics reform in the 2009 Utah Legislature?

We'll suggest that perhaps this latest development is a "baby step" in the right direction.

And what say our gentle readers about all this?

Rank Smell Eminates From Capitol Hill

Time for Weber County Attorney Decaria to break out the trusty Nasal Ranger Olfactometer?

Fine editorial in this morning's Standard-Examiner on the Walker Bribery Probe topic, under the headline, "A cloud over House leadership." The editorial starts out with this:

Rather than be hauled up on ethics charges within the Utah House of Representatives, Rep. Mark Walker opted for political seppuku -- suicide -- via resignation from his elective office.
His surrender stops the ethics investigation resulting from a complaint filed against the Sandy Republican by a bipartisan group of five House colleagues, including two from the Top of Utah.
But it will not -- or at least should not -- blunt the ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of bribery.

The editorial makes a strong pitch for Weber and Davis County attorneys Decaria and Rawlings to get on with their investigation, and to "be thorough and swift." We couldn't be more in agreement with the Std-Ex about this:

It will be important not only to confirm or reject allegations about Walker's behavior, but to resolve the questions now swirling about the possible involvement of House leadership. Voters in various House districts are currently wondering if they have cause to worry about backroom dealing by powerful incumbents who will be on their ballots this fall.

Perhaps Mark Decaria could speed up the process by borrowing Ogden City's Nasal Ranger Olfactometer, and taking it for a walk around Capitol Hill.

Breaking: Representative Mark Walker "Cuts and Runs"

Walker turns tail, and resigns from Utah Legislature

Startling news from this morning's Deseret News. Hours before the Utah House of Representatives ethics committee was set to bring down the opening gavel, Walker jumps ship. According to House Counsel, Walker's resignation deprives the committee of further jurisdiction in the matter. From the D-News article:

Rep. Mark Walker, R-Sandy, resigned his seat in the Legislature, his campaign manager in his unsuccessful run for state treasurer said Monday morning.
The confirmation came just moments before the House Ethics Committee was scheduled to convene to consider allegations that Walker tried to bribe his GOP primary opponent in the treasurer's race, Richard Ellis.
"He said, 'I just can't do this to my family anymore. I know I should stay and fight….I'm done,' " said Steve Hunter, who ran Walker's campaign.
Hunter said Walker turned in a letter of resignations Sunday night to House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, and plans to spend a few weeks with his family in a secluded cabin.

And this is very interesting, we think:

"He feels like if he resigns, everyone's going to say he's covering for the unnamed legislator. There's no one to cover for," Hunter said, a reference to suggestions another lawmaker was involved in the alleged bribe.

Remarkable political insight for a poor guy (Walker) who's likely to wind up as "Utah's Political Patsy of the Year."

And so much for the concept of using the ethics committee investigation as a vehicle to clear his name.

Of course the criminal investigation remains pending, and unfortunately, Mr. Walker can't "resign" from that.

Perhaps Walker will "draw his line in the sand" there.

Well....?

Per the Standard-Examiner: Name Calling at the Capitol

A glimpse into "sausage-making activities" within the Utah GOP legislative inner circle

The Standard-Examiner editorial board finally jumps aboard the bandwagon this morning, demonstrating that they, like we, are closely watching the spectacle surrounding this year's Utah State Treasurers' race, an election contest which has been considerably spiced up, by the sideshow which we've now taken to calling the Walker Bribery Probe.

This morning's strong Std-Ex editorial provides a tidy fact summary for those in the Std-Ex's general readership who were not heretofore aware of the story, and then goes on to focus further on the past week's "meltdown" by Rep. Stephen Urquhart, (R-St. George), during the past week on his blog:

Even more entertaining: Rep. Stephen Urquhart, R-St. George, chairman of the House Rules Committee and a candidate for vacated Senate District 29, used his personal blog to savage Reps. Hansen’s, Allen’s and Mascaro’s reputations within the House. Here’s what he wrote about them complaining that their legislation wasn’t getting out of the Rules Committee: “When Hansen, Allen and Mascaro complained that their legislation wasn’t moving, I candidly told them that they were perceived on both sides of the aisle to be grandstanding hacks who brought little of value to the process, and that the perception probably wasn’t helping their cause” (www.steveu.com/blog/).
If anyone ever tells you Utah politics are polite, point them in Urquhart’s direction — he’ll disabuse them of that notion in a hurry.

This morning's editorial was apparently drafted before the revelation of the latest plot twist, of course -- the rolling out of the neoCON slime machine -- in re GOP House Representative Mascaro. But that's OK. The Std-Ex editors can always catch up on the story here at WCF.

We welcome the Std-Ex editors to join us as we all sit back to watch this clownish sideshow from the "cheap seats" -- while certain blockheads in the Utah GOP continue the process of public pre-general election self-cannibalization.

The Std-Ex editors make a good point with this, we believe:

There’s that old saying about how watching laws get made is a little like watching the doings at a sausage-making business. Arguments over alleged ethics violations are the same thing, but nevertheless they give us an indication what sorts of people we routinely elect to powerful positions.

Special thanks to Rep. Urquhart, among others, for giving us a public glimpse of that.

Utah GOP Operatives Roll Out the Trusty Slime Machine

How low will Utah GOP leadership go?

The Deseret News reports additional blowback this morning, stemming from the pending House ethics committee bribery probe which we discussed earlier here. "Somebody" has leaked information to the press, implicating Rep. Steve Mascaro (one of the two Republicans who joined with three House Democrats in initiation of the ethics investigation,) in a purported sexual harassment incident. This curious subplot to the Walker investigation is now developing legs of its own. From this morning's D-News story:

A state legislator who signed a bipartisan ethics complaint against one of his GOP House colleagues is now finding himself in the public eye — and blaming retribution by his own party leaders for it.
Rep. Steve Mascaro, R-West Jordan, says he did nothing wrong when he tried to console an upset female intern during the 2008 Legislature.
"I can't believe that the (leaders of the Republican Party) would stoop this low" as to leak the incident involving him to the news media. The Deseret News is not identifying sources who told the newspaper about the incident, but Mascaro said he believes he knows who has talked about it.
Two different sources, one inside the Legislature, another outside the Legislature, told the Deseret News about an incident involving Mascaro and a female intern, which was reported by the young woman to legislative staffers. Later, legislative staffers met with Mascaro and House leaders to discuss it. No formal action was asked for and none was taken, Mascaro said.
Contacted by the newspaper, the intern said she is angry that her complaint about improper conduct has been made public. The Deseret News is not identifying the intern.
"I never would have made the complaint — I was promised it would never come out," she said.

There's also something on this story in this morning's Salt Lake Tribune.

Mascaro says the accusation is retaliatory; and we believe he's probably right. It should come as no surprise to political wonks, of course, that Utah neoCONS would resort to sliming their critics and intra-party dissidents. It's a basic technique from the top shelf of the neoCON bag of tricks. Ask Joe Wilson, Valerie Plame or Richard A. Clarke about that. Barrack Obama could of course give you an earful too.

For our own part, we have no particular ax to grind re Rep. Mascaro. If he's guilty of ethical misconduct, he ought to face the music, along with his Republican House colleague, Mark Walker. Let the games begin, we say. As long as the the House ethics committee is convening to investigate the Walker matter, why not open up a file on Rep. Mascaro? In a best-case scenario, by the way, ethics committee hearings will present both Walker and Mascaro a golden opportunity to clear their names.

And now that the House is conducting at least one ethics investigation sideshow, how about stirring up something similar in the Senate? The addled Senator Buttars has apparently been arrogantly shooting off his mouth again, and he's not yet been officially called on the carpet for this highly-troubling incident. And if the Senate ethics committee decides to open investigations, who knows what other allegations might fall out of the woodwork.

Gawd do we love Utah politics!

Walker Ethics Probe Moves to Full Committee Inquiry

Ethics committee co-chairs elect to conduct a "full panel preliminary inquiry"

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the House Ethics Committee has taken the first procedural step in the ethics investigation which we discussed on Friday: "Walker Remains in the Hotseat: Criminal and Ethics Investigations Pending." From this morning's Dan Harrie story:

The leaders of the Utah House Ethics Committee have decided to hold a meeting of the full panel to consider allegations of elections-law violations against Rep. Mark Walker.
The Ethics co-chairs will convene a public meeting of the committee next Monday to consider allegations that Walker offered his rival in the state treasurer's race a job and big pay increase if he would withdraw his candidacy.
"The eight members will review the complaint and see if there is enough information to move forward," said Rep. Todd Kiser, R-Sandy.

And for some strange reason, we were not at all surprised by this:

If they [the full 8 member comittee] decide to proceed into a preliminary inquiry, they will go into closed session, in accord with legislative rules, Kiser said.

We spoke this morning however with one of our informed and trusted sources on the hill, who assures us the closed session rule will be confined to the "preliminary inquiry" only, and, assuming that the committee finds sufficient evidence of ethical misconduct on Rep. Walker's part to support further investigation, all subsequent proceedings would occur in full public view, under applicable House rules.

In view of the considerable array of incriminating information in this matter which has already been revealed in the public press, we find it difficult to imagine how the committee could do anything other than to proceed with a full investigation.

We'll be keeping our skeptical eyes peeled on this however, and will post updates and developments here as this matter progresses.

Walker Remains in the Hotseat: Criminal and Ethics Investigations Pending

Will Representative Walker rat out "Mr. Big?"

On the heels of yesterday's news, concerning the ongoing turmoil surrounding the now concluded State Treasurer's GOP primary race, reporter Jesse Fruhworth jumps into the fray, with this morning's informative Standard-Examiner article, adding tantalizing details which were unavailable yesterday. The plot thickens, per Mr. Fruhworth's paragraphs below:

BOUNTIFUL — Five lawmakers who have called for an ethics investigation of a Republican legislator want to know: Who is Rep. Mark Walker’s powerful friend?
Three Democrats and two Republican representatives have asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate whether Walker violated ethics rules connected to bribery allegations in his unsuccessful bid for the state treasurer’s nomination. The group of five also want the Ethics Committee to find out “whether another unnamed legislator colluded with Walker.” [...].
Walker was defeated in the Republican primary this week amid allegations of election law violations made by his opponent, Richard Ellis. Currently the chief deputy state treasurer, Ellis accused Walker of offering him a pay raise and promising to retain him in his current position if he would drop out of the race. [Emphasis added]

Mr. Fruhworth provides further detail, including choice quotes from Ogden's own Legislative District 9 State Representative Neil Hansen:

Walker had to forgo a re-election bid for the House to run for treasurer. Some legislators are trying to expand the ethics investigation to include more than just the lame duck.
The group of five lawmakers seized on one comment in Ellis’ affidavit in particular.
“(Walker) also told me he could ‘make it happen’ and that he had talked with ‘the person’ who could make it happen,” the affidavit states.
Rep. Neil Hansen, D-Ogden, wants Walker, under oath, to tell them who that person is.
“Who are the people who are behind this? Who knew it?” Hansen said. “If (Walker) has nothing to hide, if he feels nothing is wrong, he needs to name who was with him in trying to do this. … It has to be somebody with very powerful means who can garner the votes to make it happen.”
Hansen said the list of possible identities of “the person” is long, but he believes the person must be a legislator who could increase the treasurer’s office budget.
Hansen said the group calling for the ethics investigation — Hansen, Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful; Steve Mascaro R-West Jordan; Rosalind McGee, D-Salt Lake City; and Phil Riesen, D-Salt Lake City — feels an obligation to protect the integrity of the House of Representatives.

The article also clarifies Attorney General Shurtleff's position about whether his office will look into Walker's possible criminal culpability in this matter:

The Utah Attorney General’s office reversed course Thursday and said it will initiate a criminal investigation of Walker after all.
In a news release, the attorney general’s office said Walker would be guilty of a misdemeanor if the accusations are true. Republican Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings and Democratic Weber County Attorney Mark Decaria have been appointed to investigate.

And there's this additional wrinkle which is most likely giving Mr. Walker additional heartburn:

The complaint from the five representatives also requests a ruling on whether Walker’s vote to increase the salary of the treasurer’s position two years prior makes his own run for that seat a violation of House ethics rules.

This story is developing more plot twists than a dime novel. We'll certainly be sitting on the edge of seats, waiting to find out whether Mr. Walker will rat out "Mr. Big."

SL-Trib: Five Lawmakers Seek an Ethics Probe of Walker

More low brow entertainment springing from the GOP State Treasurer's race

Despite this morning's news that the the Lt. Governor's office now considers the matter moot, the bribery beef swirling around the recently resolved GOP State Treasurer primary election race is apparently far from dead. This morning's Salt Lake Tribune reports the matter will now be investigated as a possible ethics violation by the state legislature. We incorporate Cathy McKitrick's opening paragraphs below:

An ethics complaint, signed by five state lawmakers and filed Wednesday on Capitol Hill, calls for an investigation into one of their own - outgoing Rep. Mark Walker, R-Sandy.
Republican Reps. Sheryl Allen, of Bountiful; and Steve Mascaro, of West Jordan, joined Democratic Reps. Neil Hansen, of Ogden; Roz McGee, of Salt Lake City; and Phil Riesen, of Holladay, to ask that the House Ethics Committee probe recent bribery allegations against Walker.
"They're empowered by the state Constitution to look into the character of its members and determine if there's cause to expel a member," said attorney Alan Smith, who has teamed with David Irvine to bring the charges forward.

To characterise such an action by the legislature as "unusual" would be a gross understatement. According to this morning's Tribune story, Utah Legislators haven't taken a member of their own body to task on an alleged ethics violation for at least ten years:

It takes the request of at least three lawmakers to initiate a legislative ethics investigation. The last such charge was a decade ago, when then-House Speaker Mel Brown was accused of improperly discussing a job prospect with a lobbyist.
Brown was cleared of wrongdoing by the panel of his peers.

Grab a bag of popcorn and pull up your barca-loungers, gentle readers. We haven't gotten this much pure entertainment from the State Treasurer's Office since... Forever.

GOP Fur Flies in the Utah Treasurer's Race

Serious dissension within the normally cohesive Utah GOP?

With the June 24 primary looming three weeks hence, things are heating up in the Utah State Treasurer's race. This morning's Salt Lake Tribune reports that GOP candidates Richard Ellis and Mark Walker are exchanging nasty accusations. Cathy McKitrick provides the essence of the story below:

What one candidate called "doing the right thing," the other has labeled a fabrication and dirty politics.
Such is the present state of the Republican race for the state treasurer's job, a snoozer of a contest in most election years.
Richard Ellis, the current chief deputy state treasurer, filed a complaint Friday with the Lieutenant Governor's Office, saying that Rep. Mark Walker, R-Sandy, violated state election law by offering him a job if he'd drop out of the race.
"This is a Hail Mary pass." Walker said of the allegation. "With three weeks to go in this long nominating process, it seems my opponent is getting desperate and his only option now is to sling mud."
Ellis said his decision to file the complaint stemmed from recent media reports. The Tribune received a tip about a March conversation that included the job offer. Ellis confirmed it, while Walker said the talk took place but no offer was extended.
"It likely wouldn't have surfaced if The Tribune had not received a tip," Ellis said. "Now that it has come to light, it needs to be dealt with. It's the right thing to do and I stand by that, even though it opens up a can of worms."

Read the rest of the troubling details here.

And now that this matter has been referred for official investigation, here's the rub: Assuming the matter is ultimately dropped into Attorney General Mark Shurtleff's lap, there are pesky conflicts of interest issues also to be dealt with. Today's story provides the gist:

Under state law, Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert will review Ellis' petition and determine if an investigation is needed. If so, the information gets referred to state Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.
Shurtleff is a hefty contributor to Walker's campaign and has publicly endorsed him, including nominating him at the state Republican convention earlier this month.

Today's story also helpfully provides the language of the statute that Walker is alleged to have violated:

Utah Code Section 20A-1-608. Promises of appointment to office forbidden
(1) In order to aid or promote his nomination or election, a person may not directly or indirectly appoint or promise to appoint any person or secure or promise to secure, or aid in securing the appointment, nomination, or election of any person to any public or private position or employment, or to any position of honor, trust, or emolument.

Whether this current brouhaha is symptomatic of a genuine rift within Utah GOP ranks we do not know. We do however vow to keep a close eye on this developing story, and further express our confidence that Lt. Governor Herbert and A.G. Shurtleff will handle this matter in a manner consistent with the highest ethical standards.

As an aside... can we see by a show of hands how many Weber County Forum readers were even consciously aware that the State Treasurer post is actually a Utah elective office?