TPJ Files Complaint Against Texas Jobs PAC -- Says PAC Laundered Craddick Money in 2008

[sonias]

Texans for Public Justice
TPJ filed a complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission today alleging that the Texas Jobs & Opportunity PAC served as an illegal conduit in 2008 for contributions from then-Speaker Tom Craddick to three Democratic House candidates.

(from the press release)

Austin, TX: Texans for Public Justice filed a formal complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission today alleging that the Texas Jobs & Opportunity Build A Secure Future PAC (Jobs PAC) served as an illegal conduit in 2008 for a total of $150,000 in contributions from then-Speaker Tom Craddick to three Democratic House candidates.

Jobs PAC reported that it received $250,000 from Tom Craddick’s campaign committee on January 10, 2008. According to news reports, around that time Craddick campaign employee Christi Craddick also provided Texas Jobs with written instructions to distribute the funds to Democratic Reps. Kevin Bailey, Dawnna Dukes, Kino Flores and Aaron Pena.1 All four incumbents previously supported Republican Speaker Craddick and faced challengers in the 2008 Democratic primary.2 According to its own reports, Jobs PAC wrote three checks of $50,000 apiece to the campaigns of Reps. Bailey, Flores and Pena on January 11, 2008. By its own accounting, at the time Texas Jobs wrote these checks its sole source of funding was the $250,000 that it received the day before from the Craddick campaign. Rep. Dukes, the fourth lawmaker, told the Austin American-Statesman that she rejected an offer to receive $50,000 from Texas Jobs because her opponent already was making her Craddick ties a campaign issue.

More at the link above including the full press release.

For shame. I think Aaron Pena and should return the money. Kevin Bailey and Kino Flores will not be returning to the Legislature and if I understand it Dawnna turned down the money.

Sonia