Subscriber Special: Oregon Governor Has Ethics Problems 63_oregon_governor

January 30, 2018 03:10 PM

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When we opened the books on Oregon Gov. Kate Brown's lobbying disclosures, we found she hid $165,000 

in lobbying costs from Oregon citizens. 
That's an ethics problem.

 

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MS. ETHICS, OREGON GOV. KATE BROWN HAS 52 LOBBYISTS BUT STATE WEBSITE SHOWS 
$0 SPENT ON LOBBYING

#4 'Most Read' at Forbes Opinion
 

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Adam Andrzejewski | CEO of OpenTheBooks
Contributor to Forbes
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WATCH: WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH?
OREGON GOV. KATE BROWN

 

 

 

  • Has Oregon Gov. Kate Brown filed false lobbying disclosure reports for the past seven quarters?

     

  • Why did it take our FOIA request to force the Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to publicly reveal $165,489 in lobbyist costs?

Since Kate Brown assumed the governorship, she has played the "ethics" reform card for political advantage. "I am the one responsible for ensuring a public records policy," the governor told a reporter in late 2016.

Our auditors at OpenTheBooks.com fact-checked Brown's promises of transparency, accountability, and a new day in Salem. We found what appears to be alleged violations of Oregon's lobbyist disclosure laws. 

Since 2016, Brown has designated 52 "Office of Governor" employees as "lobbyists" working on the "governor's agenda." 
However, Brown's official "Lobbyist Expenditure Report" displayed on the Oregon Ethics Commission website showed zero dollars spent on lobbying for the past seven quarters.

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Screenshot of Q2 2016 OR 'Office of Governor' filing with Oregon Ethics Commission: 'Successfully Filed' with Total Expended: $0 and 'No Data to Report.'

Yet, the governor's official and receipted filings - with confirmation numbers - showed $0 spent on lobbying for the past seven quarterly reports, see picture above or click here for all receipts. 

It wasn't possible that the governor's office spent zero dollars, and it wasn't until our auditors at OpenTheBooks.com asked for comment that Brown's office churned out records showing $165,489 in lobbying costs.

Governor Brown is the only constitutional officer in Oregon with zero dollars spent on lobbying for the last seven quarters on the Oregon Ethics Commission website.

 
Though she eventually produced the records to us showing $165,489 in lobbyist expenditures, after nearly two weeks, the official website still shows zero dollars spent by the Office of Governor. 

So much for the self-titled champion of transparency and accountability.

 

Join the Transparency Revolution! It's Your Money.

Jessie_signature
Jessie Fox
Communications Specialist
 
Adam Andrzejewski (say: Angie-eff-ski)
CEO & Founder, OpenTheBooks.com
 
Matthew Tyrmand
Deputy Director at Large


Want to see the 63,000 Illinois public employees making $100,000 ? Click here to read our Forbes piece and search our interactive map.

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