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Showing posts with label Marion County Prosecutor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marion County Prosecutor. Show all posts

Monday, April 16, 2018

Rokita's Ethics Problems are Much Worse Than you Think

Congressman Todd Rokita


INDY REPULICAN's least favorite Indiana Congressman just cannot seem to stop getting his hands caught in the cookie jar as Rokita wrongly decrees he is legally allowed to steal the cookies. Just as the "laughbox" is activated for sitcoms, Hoosier voters are repeatedly fed words such "unsubstantiated", "de minimus" and 'we received a private and secret ethics opinion' overtime Rokita is caught blowing money like a drunkin' sailor to promote himself and support his campaigns while allegedly "working" at his so-called "duty station".  Last Friday Brian Slodysko reportedthat when Rokita was Indiana Secretary of State that the Indiana GOP had locked him out of their donor database back in 2009.

Slodysko reports:

Todd Rokita likely violated ethics laws as Indiana's secretary of state by repeatedly accessing a Republican donor database from his government office, prompting party officials to lock him out of the system until he angrily complained, three former GOP officials told The Associated Press. The alleged ethics flap over Rokita's use of the Indiana Republican Party's Salesforce database during work hours occurred in 2009, as he was wrapping up a second term as the state's chief elections official and angling for higher office. Indiana law prohibits state employees from engaging in political activity while on duty or acting in an official capacity. It also prohibits work on anything outside official duties while on the clock, or ordering others to do so, and from using state resources for political purposes. The former officials, who have direct knowledge of the situation, spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk about it publicly. They did not report Rokita's activity to authorities at the time.

(While the above sources had not filed complaints, IR has learned complaints nonetheless had been filed against Rokita as far back as 2011 over the same issue and the Inspector General's Office still refuse to issue a response)

Rokita's campaign spokesman Nathan Brand said Thursday April 12th, 2018 that Rokita used the database to keep his personal rolodex, which Brand said was allowed under state ethics guidance the office received. However, Rokita's campaign could not produce documents outlining the guidance, and the office of current Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson said it could not locate any such records. State party officials were alarmed when they discovered that a computer in Rokita's Statehouse office frequently logged in to the database containing detailed campaign information on activists and donors. They froze his access to the system but restored it after Rokita complained. 

Slodysko also reports that mailers from the Secretary of State's Office were sent out to some county republican chairmen about Rokita's "Rethinking Redistricting" which garned a great deal of attention during Rokita's successful run for Congress in 2010. Two legal experts interviewed by Slodysko did not believe that Rokita's use of state resources and employees was legal. David Orentlicher a lawyer and former Democratic state legislator from Indiana said: "Using your government staff (for political business) during their work day, while they are using government resources? This is well across the line and not a hard call." Indianapolis attorney Bill Groth said he believes that Rokita or his employees were "engaging in unlawful political activity, the unlawful use of state property, and ghost employment." "Indiana law strictly requires elected state officials to wall off their public duties from political activities," Groth said.

Since the Secretary of State has NO STATUTORY POWER to draw legislative and congressional district lines, one has to question why Rokita spend thousands of dollars of taxpayer funds on a Rethinking Redistricting websites, promotional materials and a professionally made video shown at political dinners around the state in 2010. The expenditures constituted a bald-faced effort by Rokita to promote himself as he was trying to secure future "public employment" as his term of Secretary of State was winding down. Other politicians could be prosecuted for theft for the same actions.

We are very impressed with Brian Slodysko's article and we encourage everyone to go read the entire article. Slodysko should have asked these officials why they did not report Todd Rokita to the authorities.  Our readers may recall that we blogged in February of last year about former Indiana Schools Superintendent Tony Bennett's issues with misusing his office personnel and resources to try to get reelected to his job in 2012. In that post we also referred our readers to a post Gary Welsh over at Advance Indiana had made back in 2014 that discussed not only Bennett's problems but pointed out how Todd Rokita probably had very similar problems himself

The responses out of Rokita's camp sounds as if they have something to hide. The dearth of any substance in Rokita's attempt to defend themselves is nothing short of embarrassing. Here is what some others are saying about Rokita's response to AP's story:




As soon as this story hit the AP wire IR was immediately contacted by several of our sources stating that various government officials were aware or had been made aware of Mister Rokita's unethical, possibly criminal actions as far back as 2011 but that nothing was done about them. We find it impossible to believe that journalists in Indiana are only just now finding out about this. Here is just some of what we have heard about Rokita and the claim that his misusing his state office is a new revelation:


"The AP was informed that in March/April 2011 reports were made to the IG and to the Marion county prosecutor and no one cared" 


"AP was even given the name of the software platforms (campaign sales force and later backoffice) and the shared file the employees updated (for Todd Rokita) named “Lucy”

"Word around the water cooler was Curry’s chief deputy David Rimstidt back in 2011 was told by several people about Rokita’s indiscretions but did less than nothing."

Interestingly the late great Gary Welsh wrote here and here about Rimstidt on Advance Indiana in 2010. Rimstidt appears to be somewhat shady to many. 

“The Inspector General was asked back around 2011 if Rokita’s activities were not illegal nor unethical, that if they were in fact ethical and legal. You think they would have whipped the fantasy opinion out to show what they had sent to Rokita but they never got issued anything about Old Todd”

"Republican state committee people were up in arms when they found out he (Todd Rokita) was using campaign sales force and Rokita yelled at them when they turned off his account. He started using “backoffice” so the state party couldn’t monitor his use of office staff for this shit"

IR has been told by our sources that “Lucy” was the name of the shared file of the spreadsheet that Rokita would have his staff update names of donors, contact info, talking points for TR and the amounts of donations to other campaigns During his 2010 congressional run.These were spreadsheets he (Todd Rokita) used to keep information on whom to call for money when he was in the car. Our sources told INDY REPUBLICAN they haven’t the first clue where the "Lucy" file was kept. All that is known is that "Lucy" was accidentally found saved on the hard drive in the executive office in 2011. Many of our sources have been trying to find out why the file was called "Lucy" as one informant told us: "Kinda sticks in your head because you want to know “why did they call it Lucy?!”

If you feel a burning sensation in your wallet do not panic and hold on to it tight as it is only a warning that Rokita is near to feed his mammoth hunger for more ill-gotten money. Our sources also claim that Rokita received reimbursements and payments that he was not legally allowed to take:

"Rokita bragged in speeches around Indiana for eight years that he did not take a state car as Secretary of State, insinuating he was saving the taxpayers money.  What Rokita concealed from Hoosiers was that he was constantly receiving reimbursements for mileage from the State for use of his campaign car. Many in the State would argue it would have been better for Rokita to simply have his gas paid for using a state vehicle instead of mileage reimbursements."

"Rokita also received an extra paycheck and annual healthcare deposit by mistake from the State Auditor in January of 2011 as if he were Secretary of State while he was a congressman. Rokita of course refused to pay it back immediately unless he was first paid 11,000 for his “comp time” from when he was COS for Gilroy (even though the books had been closed for years for his time as COS for Gilroy). Executive Broadband employees do not get a check for past comp time after they vacate a particular position. Further, Rokita had previously denied other past executive broadband employees request for a cash reimbursement for comp time. Rumors were swirling about some “deal” he made to pay the money back in 2012 or 2013 before the board of accounts was starting to try to reconcile everything. For any other people, this would be theft."

INDY REPUBLICAN seriously doubts Todd Rokita got an ethics opinion on what he was doing with Salesforce. If he had received such an opinion publicly, Tony Bennett would have used it to defend himself. As our sources tell us “Rokita is only a master of using his staff for ghost employment. As Tony Bennett was slapped with ethics fines over the "red meat" list former Rokita staffer Cam Savage downloaded on public computers, many do not realize that Tony Bennett's action were naive child's play compared to the Rokita's."  All Hoosier taxpayers should challenge Rokita to produce his ethics opinion, whether issued publicly or privately, where the Inspector General made criminal ghost employment and theft of public resources suddenly legal just for him. 

IR would like to thank our sources for sharing with us their knowledge of Congressman Rokita, We genuinely appreciate, and understand the immense risks these brave people are taking by speaking to us, We want them to know that we are very grateful to them and encourage them to keep up the good fight. Here's to good old Todd getting his ass handed to him on a platter! With French-fried potatoes!

P.S. Not sure how accurate this is but Brian Slodysko tweeted yesterday that he found and interesting article on Wikipedia for the word "Rokita". All we can say is that if this Wikipedia entry is accurate it explains a great deal about Todd:






Ironic how ancient folklore even reveals Rokita to be a swamp creature, terrorizing hardworking Hoosier taxpayers all while he claims to be at his "duty station". If President Trump were still the host of the Apprentice, it would be funny to see the look on Rokita's face as Trump told him "You're Fired!"