TOPEKA (KSNT) – The Republican Governors Association has asked a local prosecutor and sheriff to investigate Gov. Laura Kelly, D-Kan., for criminal use of taxpayer resources. Kelly’s campaign spokeswoman said the allegations are part of an ethics complaint that was recently dropped.
The RGA delivered a criminal referral to the Shawnee County District Attorney, Michael Kagay, and the Shawnee County Sheriff, Brian Hill, accusing Kelly of criminal use of taxpayer resources to aide in her re-election campaign. Both Kagay and Hill are Republicans.
“Laura Kelly and her staff have literally taken her egregious abuse of taxpayer-funded resources for her political campaign to potentially criminal levels,” said RGA spokeswoman Joanna Rodriguez. “Under Kelly’s administration, foster kids are sleeping in offices again and bridge deterioration is going unreported, but Kelly’s misuse of state resources to try and salvage her political career continues. Kansans footing the bill deserve better.”
The group says that the criminal referral comes from actions taken by Kelly and her staff earlier this year in May. These actions are believed by the RGA to have violated Kansas’ public integrity laws such as K.S.A. 75-2953(a). This type of violation is a Class C misdemeanor.
According to the group, Kelly’s campaign tried to have an RGA Kansas 2022 PAC ad taken off the air. Kelly’s campaign sent a letter to TV stations. The group says they received a letter from a lawyer which included a memo from Kansas Department of Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard, which has since resulted in an ethics complaint being filed by the RGA.
Kelly’s campaign pointed back to the dismissed ethics complaint when asked about the RGA’s attempts to prosecute the governor.
“According to public reports, the ethics complaint has been dismissed,” Lauren Fitzgerald, Kelly’s campaign spokeswoman said.
To read the full criminal referral letter filed by the RGA against Kelly, see the document below:
RGA PAC 6-21-22 Letter to DA Kagay by Matthew Self on Scribd
