Ethics commission staff recommends against investigating Sara Gideon for finance violation

AUGUSTA, Maine — The staff of Maine’s election ethics commission is recommending against investigating Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon for her past use of a partially corporate-funded committee to reimburse herself for political contributions, saying the Democrat running to replace Sen. Susan Collins did not violate state law because she did not intend to conceal the true source of the contributions.

Gideon’s use of her state political committee, which has since dissolved, to reimburse herself for political contributions came to light over the summer and became the subject of a state campaign finance complaint from a former Republican state senator in late August.

In a memo to members of the Maine Ethics Commission released late Wednesday, the commission’s executive director wrote, “If the preliminary facts suggest little likelihood of a campaign finance violation, the Commission staff typically recommends against an investigation.”

The five-member commission will meet Wednesday, Oct. 30, to decide whether to launch an investigation into the complaint against the House speaker who has national Democratic backing in her bid to challenge Collins.

Read more: https://bangordailynews.com/2019/10/23/politics/ethics-commission-staff-recommends-against-investigating-sara-gideon-for-finance-violation/