Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives
Previous Post: Madigan’s people defend his Rauner offer
Next Post: IDOC denies it has secret plan for unused prisons
Posted in:
* David Giuliani…
A hearing officer has recommended former state Rep. Frank Mautino’s campaign committee be fined for “willfully” violating the state elections board’s order to provide it with more information on spending.
Hearing Officer Philip Krasny released his 18-page report Friday, saying Mautino, now the state’s auditor general, failed to amend his reports in response to a Board of Elections request in May 2016. […]
In its May 2016 order, the board asked Mautino, who chairs the committee, to accurately break down expenditures for gas and car repairs at Happy’s Super Service in Spring Valley, identify the actual recipients of each itemized expenditure made to the gas station and identify the specific purposes of any expenditures made to Spring Valley City Bank.
Krasny said his report was limited to the board’s request to determine whether Mautino willfully violated the May 2016 order.
Go read the whole thing. Mautino’s lawyers used some pretty tortured logic to explain why Mautino couldn’t amend his filing.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 11:53 am
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
Previous Post: Madigan’s people defend his Rauner offer
Next Post: IDOC denies it has secret plan for unused prisons
WordPress Mobile Edition available at alexking.org.
powered by WordPress.
Frank. Settle this thing and resign. It’s not just time; it’s past time.
Comment by A guy Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 12:00 pm
“Mautino’s attorneys noted Illinois law bars the auditor general from taking part in any political campaign. To provide more campaign financial information to the board would require a reopening of the campaign committee, which would mean Mautino breaking the ban on politics for auditors general, his attorney said. ”
If that will be his defense for the larger federal investigation then his goose is cooked
Comment by T Sowell Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 12:01 pm
=Frank. Settle this thing and resign. It’s not just time; it’s past time.=
But, but, we don’t want audit expertise, we want a likeable politician for Auditor - otherwise how can Illinois maintain its, uh, reputation?
Comment by No Experience Needed Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 12:31 pm
The SBE is the least of Frank’s problems. He will gladly pay the fine and hope it goes away. It will not. FBI and IRS will have their say.
Comment by Big Muddy Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 1:24 pm
A suppose a great smile, small talk, and joshful backslapping can move one up the political ladder, but a brain would be most helpful.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 1:33 pm
Little confidence in the Feds now, they bungled Schocks case and it’s taking them this long to investigate some overbilling at Happy’s gas station. This may be the only avenue to stick him with something.
Comment by Tyler Durden Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 2:31 pm
Guessin’ this will finish a non story….DopeyDuct and his goons will come up empty….again.
Comment by Annonin' Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 2:52 pm
The filings in this matter make it clear Frank treated his campaign fund as a personal piggy bank. He got caught and now it’s time for him to go. It’s stunning to me that this isn’t a bigger story, but I guess this is a reflection of Illinois’ general state of dysfunction.
Comment by Former IL Resident Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 3:02 pm
The bigger story is to get an answer how unreported campaign spending DopeyDuct did this year
Comment by Annonin' Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 3:21 pm
Come on Annonin’, you can’t seriously believe Rauner’s goons include the FBI and the IRS?
Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 3:27 pm
Fining not Firing
Only in Illinois would someone with his record for sloppiness at best and fraud at worst enjoy the full confidence of the Speaker of the House
Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 3:32 pm
The Hearing Officer’s report indicates that Mautino turned over his records, which were then reviewed by the complainant and the hearing officer and discussed with the former Treasurer. The Hearing Officer determined that Mautino was OK with one exception: The Committee has failed to use the records retained by Mautino to update the filed reports. The Hearing officer is able to draw that conclusion because the records exist and were provided during discovery and discussed during depositions.
So, why not update the reports? MAutino’s atty says: “The Committee no longer exists. Who would file the reports?” While I understand the irritation with Mautino for not reopening his committee to update his last two years’ reports, the irritated are ignoring one very important point: If Mautino’s committee is reconstituted, a new complaint would be filed immediately accusing Mautino of violating the rule prohibiting him from participating in a political campaign. Mautino’s atty spells this out pretty clearly (basically, no matter which box is checked when establishing a committee, you are claiming to be a politically active committee of some sort). Knowing how things proceed in Springfield, it doesn’t seem like tortured logic; it’s hard for me to see how this would not happen.
The one other point that stands out in the documents is that if Mautino needs to amend his records for clarity, so do Reps. Ives and Wherli and probably most of the other members of the General Assembly.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 3:44 pm
And Pot appears to defend the indefensible…
Comment by Former IL Resident Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 3:50 pm
==And Pot appears to defend the indefensible…==
The Hearing Officer is saying that the campaign committee needs to reorganize and update previous filings with the information provided during the hearing. Mautino’s atty says there is no committee and it cannot reorganize without violating the law and that the update would be to a standard not met by others nor ever promoted by the Board of Election.
So, why reconstitute a committee that would result in someone filing a complaint against its existence and for which no operating funds could be raised to amend a report to meet a standard not articulated by the Board nor followed by other filers?
Not defending the indefensible, just acknowledging the pointlessness of this endeavor.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 4:21 pm
Pot, I read the arguments of Frank’s lawyers and found them as baseless and frivolous as the hearing officer did. It’s not necessary for you to repeat them here. We all know the real reason he’s not amending his reports, and it has nothing to do with concerns about a potential complaint if he were to reorganize his campaign cmte… But continue spinning for him, I’m sure he appreciates it.
Comment by Former IL Resident Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 4:47 pm
This investigation (or whatever it is)is moving at a snails pace. Don’t know if that is because thorough work is being done or if the stall tactic of Mautino is working and it’s not a big deal to anyone anymore.
Comment by justacitizen Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 7:26 pm
==Don’t know if that is because thorough work is being done or if the stall tactic of Mautino is working and it’s not a big deal to anyone anymore.==
Or, because the committee filed reports with the same level of detail as everyone else and that when the treasurer asked the Board of Elections for guidance, they told her she was doing fine. Could be that.
Also, its only been about a year. Seems pretty quick to me.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Tuesday, May 9, 17 @ 7:58 pm