Democrat State Rep Jonas Hughes is back at it again, complaining about $19,000 in fines levied against him by the Missouri Ethics Commission. Right now, those fines are preventing him from taking office.
A quick recap of the MEC's fines:
-Fined $6,090 for problems with committee and personal disclosures in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010 -Fined $13,000 for failing to report almost $10,000 in spending and using campaign money for personal purposes
If you were expecting him to apologize to his donors for misusing their contributions or to his district, which is currently unrepresented... you're going to be disappointed. Here's what he told the Star:
“The whole situation is getting out of control,” he said. “It’s ridiculous.”
“Where am I supposed to come up with $20,000?” he asked rhetorically. “That’s more than a car! A small car!”
“Because of this one situation, people are saying my career is ruined,” he said.
Apparently Hughes doesn't believe in personal responsibility.
Without trying to offer unhelpful advice; if he doesn't want to have to pay $19,000 in fines maybe he shouldn't repeatedly violate ethics laws. The only person to blame here is himself. The slate of excuses he gives to Jason Noble are interesting, but none of them do a very good job of explaining his ethics violations.
The people in his district need to be represented in the Missouri House, and they won't be until Hughes either resigns or figures out how to pay off his debts. He should think about both options carefully.
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