FROM THE QUORUM REPORT: December 19, 2014 5:29 PM Ethics Commission will look into alleged misuse of corporate funds by Empower Texans “The public subsidizes Empower Texans by granting it a tax-exemption, while it uses those tax-exempt funds to influence elections,” Bresnen said. “That is wrong—and illegal.” The Texas Ethics Commission said this week that there will be a preliminary hearing in February on alleged misuse of corporate funds in Texas elections by Midland oilman Tim Dunn’s group Empower Texans. Dunn, as QR readers who have followed this are aware, is the chairman of the group, which has a spokesman who was found by the Ethics Commission to be guilty of lobbying without registering. That spokesman for Dunn, Michael Quinn Sullivan, is appealing that finding in court. Longtime lobbyist Steve Bresnen, a former top aide to Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, filed this latest complaint against Empower Texans back in February. It centers on “the use of the publicly-subsidized non-profit’s assets to raise money for a political action committee,” which Bresnen said would be a “direct violation of the Election Code’s express prohibition against the practice.” You can see a copy of the complaint here. The TEC letter to Bresnen informing him of the preliminary hearing is here. There was no immediate comment from Sullivan’s attorney, Joe Nixon. “The public subsidizes Empower Texans by granting it a tax-exemption, while it uses those tax-exempt funds to influence elections,” Bresnen said. “That is wrong—and illegal,” he said. Bresnen said the complaint “documents violations that were ongoing at the time I filed it and had been for a long time. In fact, a check of the non-profit’s website today shows Mike and Tim’s publicly-subsidized plaything continues breaking the law even today.” At a minimum, the corporation’s practices are a Class A misdemeanor, Bresnen said. “If it is determined that the use of corporate funds to solicit money for the PAC is an in-kind political contribution of corporate funds, things will get much worse for those involved,” he said and added that there may need to be more discovery in the case before it can move forward. Bresnen, of course, was also the one who did the research for the complaint that led to the Ethics Commission ruling against Sullivan. When asked why he continues to go after Empower Texans for their tactics and practices, his answer was straightforward. Either the rules apply to all of us or none of us—and then there are no rules, Bresnen said.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 18:11:55 +0000
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