Halter & Hathorn
FAYETTEVILLE - Former state Rep. Mike Hathorn of Huntsville on Tuesday accused Bill Halter, an opponent in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, of violating state election laws by moving political contributions among several campaign accounts.
Halter is "playing shell games by moving thousands of dollars from one 'Halter for Arkansas' campaign to another 'Halter for Arkansas' campaign," according to Hathorn, who said he planned to file a complaint against Halter with the state Ethics Commission today.
In a letter to Halter, Hathorn cited 18 different alleged abuses of campaign finance law, all of which centered around one central theme. "In short, isn't your lieutenant governor's race benefiting from money given to you to run for governor?" Hathorn wrote.
Hathorn sent the letter to Halter's campaign and sent copies to news outlets, saying he would file an ethics complaint unless Halter provided satisfactory explanations. He said later he would file a complaint with the commission.
"We will not respond to Mike Hathorn's desperate shenanigans. Our financial disclosures are open to the public," Halter campaign spokesman Bud Jackson said.
"It is obvious to voters and the media that the closer we approach this election the more desperate Mike Hathorn grows," Jackson's statement said. "Bill Halter will continue to run a positive campaign focusing on his plan to make our schools excellent while building and attracting the better-paying jobs of the 21st Century."
Halter formed a committee to explore running for governor last fall, announced his gubernatorial campaign in January and dropped out of the race just weeks later to run instead for lieutenant governor.
He has seven accounts that require financial disclosures be filed with the Secretary of State's office, records show.
The accounts are for his governor's primary exploratory committee; governor's race general election exploratory committee; governor's primary campaign; governor's general election campaign; lieutenant governor's primary election campaign; his lieutenant governor's run-off campaign; and his lieutenant governor's general election campaign. (Arkansas News)
Halter is "playing shell games by moving thousands of dollars from one 'Halter for Arkansas' campaign to another 'Halter for Arkansas' campaign," according to Hathorn, who said he planned to file a complaint against Halter with the state Ethics Commission today.
In a letter to Halter, Hathorn cited 18 different alleged abuses of campaign finance law, all of which centered around one central theme. "In short, isn't your lieutenant governor's race benefiting from money given to you to run for governor?" Hathorn wrote.
Hathorn sent the letter to Halter's campaign and sent copies to news outlets, saying he would file an ethics complaint unless Halter provided satisfactory explanations. He said later he would file a complaint with the commission.
"We will not respond to Mike Hathorn's desperate shenanigans. Our financial disclosures are open to the public," Halter campaign spokesman Bud Jackson said.
"It is obvious to voters and the media that the closer we approach this election the more desperate Mike Hathorn grows," Jackson's statement said. "Bill Halter will continue to run a positive campaign focusing on his plan to make our schools excellent while building and attracting the better-paying jobs of the 21st Century."
Halter formed a committee to explore running for governor last fall, announced his gubernatorial campaign in January and dropped out of the race just weeks later to run instead for lieutenant governor.
He has seven accounts that require financial disclosures be filed with the Secretary of State's office, records show.
The accounts are for his governor's primary exploratory committee; governor's race general election exploratory committee; governor's primary campaign; governor's general election campaign; lieutenant governor's primary election campaign; his lieutenant governor's run-off campaign; and his lieutenant governor's general election campaign. (Arkansas News)
