Rhode Island GOP: Unethical Ethics Commission Covers for Corrupt Democratic Governor

Warwick, RI – In response to the Ethics Commission’s decision to dismiss the R.I. Republican Party’s complaint against Governor Gina Raimondo, Rhode Island Republican Party Chairman Brandon S. Bell commented:

“We are disappointed with the decision of the Ethics Commission not to investigate Raimondo’s fundraising deal with a state employee her administration recently hired. First, the Ethics Commission ignored the fact that Patrick Ward himself, not the office of Chairman of the Providence Democratic City Committee, was specifically named in the agreement as having control as to how the funds would be spent. The Ethics Commissions ignored the fact that under prior advisory rulings Ward would be considered a business associate of Raimondo since they were working together to achieve a common financial objective under the agreement. Second, the Ethics Commission decided to interpret the term ‘subordinate’ in its regulations very narrowly. According to Ethics Commission’s decision, Governor Raimondo’s subordinates are only those individuals who work in the Governor Office or are persons she directly appointed to lead a state agency. The Ethics Commission ignored the fact that Mr. Ward is a subordinate of Governor Raimondo’s appointee at the Department of Human Services or that a few months after Mr. Ward was hired by Raimondo’s appointee at DHS, he entered into a financial transaction with Governor Raimondo.”

Bell concluded: “By its decision today, the Ethics Commission is saying Governor Raimondo can enter into a secret financial deal with a state employee as long as (1) the deal states it is with a group the state employee controls rather than the employee himself, and (2) the state employee answers to her appointee instead of her. We do not think these technicalities make Governor Raimondo’s conduct somehow ethical.”