Democratic Party of Arkansas Sees Its Debt Skyrocket in a Single Month
In the state where former President Bill Clinton once held the reins of power, questions are swirling about what some see as the free-spending ways of Arkansas Democrats.
The issue is the size of the debt held by the Democratic Party in the state, which had been bad enough at $80,000 in July but skyrocketed to $139,000 in August, according to Federal Election Commission records reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon.
Republicans, on the other hand, are debt-free.
Michael John Gray, the party’s chairman, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that Democrats cannot compare today with the past because, with Republicans in control, money follows power.
“Anytime you control the Legislature, control the [state] Capitol, contributions are easier to garner. We can’t be the party we used to be because we’re not the same state we used to be,” he said.
Although all political parties have ups and downs based on how supporters and the electorate view them, Arkansas Democrats have come under an added layer of scrutiny that followed an extensive blog post by Matt Campbell, which questioned whether the party’s spending and fiscal practices are actually effective.
Campbell’s post, citing party records on file with the FEC, painted a picture of inaccurate information being submitted in various filings, missed deadlines and fines being slapped on the party for its wayward fiscal and reporting ways.
“The spending and problems with the quarterly reports laid out above are far from the only issues one can discover from even a cursory glance at the documents. There are myriad payments that make little sense. There are questionable unitemized contribution/expenditure totals that are well outside the norm,” Campbell wrote.
“A deeper dive into those reports (and the finances generally) is certainly warranted, even if the forms used for reporting make piecing a full picture together nearly impossible.”
Little Rock attorney Matt Campbell filed a complaint on with the Arkansas Ethics Commission against Democratic Party of Arkansas Chair Michael John Gray for illegally failing to file financial reports from his unsuccessful 2018 campaign https://t.co/Z5CBLEqy2P pic.twitter.com/OfRgatK3c7
— KATV News (@KATVNews) August 9, 2019
Gray responded to the blog post by saying he would have an audit conducted of the party’s books.
Campbell also filed a complaint against Gray with the Arkansas Ethics Commission alleging that Gray improperly paid himself $5,000, according to KATV.
Gray said it is possible clerical error could have taken place.
“If there are honest mistakes by honest people, then we will address them,” Gray said.
On top of that, FEC reports show that the party has spent money on items that include: $6,300 to a fine art company, $3,700 for lawn care and $8,400 to the treasurer of Pulaski County, where the party’s headquarters are located.
Reed Brewer, communications director for the state party, told The Washington Free Beacon that the reports are nothing more than “a snapshot in time.”
“If we have an obligation or debt of over $500, the Federal Election Commission requires it must be reported regardless of when the obligation is due. A simple and basic review would conclude that our current report correlates to our calendar of yearly events, as we just concluded our largest annual party gathering,” he said.
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