Arkansas governor says lawmaker should resign or be ousted
Source: Associated Press
Andrew Demillo, Associated Press Updated 2:19 pm CDT, Friday, August 2, 2019
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas' governor said Friday that a state lawmaker who pleaded no contest to not paying state income taxes should be removed from office if he doesn't resign.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson repeated his call for state Rep. Mickey Gates to resign, saying it his fellow Republican has no business keeping his job under the circumstances.
"It is unacceptable for a public official, particularly a state legislator, to continue to hold office after being found guilty of a criminal violation of our tax laws," Hutchinson said in a statement. "He should resign or be removed from office."
. . .
Investigators said Gates had not filed a return since 2003. The statute of limitations for failing to file or pay returns is six years. Gates told police he had believed he had settled with the state for the years 2003 through 2007 for $30,000 and was making $1,500 monthly payments on the settlement, according to the arrest affidavit. Gates also said he was under the impression that the state Department of Finance and Administration completed returns on his behalf for 2007 through 2015 and had not filed returns since 2015.
Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Arkansas-governor-says-lawmaker-should-resign-or-14276545.php
= new reply since forum marked as read
