Donations earn Arkansas AG, governor ethics hits; gifts to campaigns deemed unlawful

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge were issued public letters of caution by the Arkansas Ethics Commission on Friday for unlawful contributions made to their re-election campaigns this year.

The letters were made public in records released by the Ethics Commission. The commission determined that both Republicans' violations were unintentional.

Hutchinson, who won a second four-year term in November, accepted campaign contributions from two individuals in excess of the $2,700 allowed under Arkansas law. The campaign, which had retained an accounting firm to handle finances and reporting, issued refunds to both individuals.

"The Ethics Commission acknowledged this as an unintentional error that was corrected as soon as it was brought to the attention of the campaign," said Jon Gilmore, Hutchinson's chief political strategist. "The Ethics Commission has little discretion on these reporting errors, and the commission handled the matter appropriately in accordance with their rules."

Read more: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/dec/22/donations-earn-ag-governor-ethics-hits-/?elections