Rep. Walker Resigns, No Ethics Investigation

Jul 07, 2008 by Jeff Robinson

(KCPW News) Utah Representative Mark Walker appears to have dodged a bullet this week by resigning just before the House Ethics Committee was about to decide whether to investigate him. KCPW's Jeff Robinson has the details and the reaction.

 

Read a copy of Walker's letter.

The audio of today's meeting is available at the state legislature's web site. 

Story Transcript:

In a letter addressed to House Speaker Greg Curtis yesterday, Representative Mark Walker resigned his position in the legislature. The House Ethics Committee was set to decide this morning whether to investigate a complaint that alleged Walker bribed Richard Ellis, his opponent in the treasurer's race, to drop out. But since Walker has resigned, the complaint is moot, explained legislative counsel John Fellows.

Fellows: "Because Representative Walker is no longer a member of the legislature, this committee lacks jurisdiction over the complaint. There is nothing this committee can do in terms of adjudicating that complaint."

The committee soon adjourned after announcing Walker's resignation.

Democratic Representative Roz McGee attended the meeting. She was one of five legislators who filed the complaint, which also alleged that another legislator conspired with Walker to offer his opponent a raise, were to he to drop out of the race.

McGee: "I think there may well be follow up to this, and I think this committee may be back in business sooner, rather than later."

Chief Deputy Treasurer Richard Ellis, who got the ball rolling by accusing Walker of offering the raise, attended today's meeting and heard the news.

Ellis: "I wasn't aware of it until I came into the meeting this morning that he had resigned. To me, it seems like it validates my position on this."

Walker's letter says , "I must resign because I find myself in the crossfire of a political battle that seems to have an intensity completely unrelated to me or anything I have done. I choose not to participate further because the toll on my family and me is just too great." James Bradshaw, Walker's attorney, explains.

Bradshaw: "We forget sometimes that someone in this position has parents and siblings and a wife, and it's just been very personally painful for him. He decided just to end his political career and get out of that."

Bradshaw says Walker's resignation is in no way an admission of guilt, and that he plans to fully cooperate with the other investigation now being led by the Davis and Weber County Attorneys.

Bradshaw: "I think that we are confident that when the full story comes out, it will be clear that perhaps Mr. Walker made some mistakes, but he did nothing illegal or unethical."

Attorney David Irvine represents the five legislators who filed the complaint against Walker. He says Walker's resignation is the result of pressure from above.

Irvine: "It's clear to me that, in chess terms, the House leadership sacrificed a pawn to save the king. They didn't want to go forward with an inquiry that would bring other names to the foreground that would be embarrassing for the leadership to have to deal with."

But House Majority Leader Dave Clark calls Irvine's accusation blatantly false.

Clark: "I think that the most critical point that I want to make here today is that this has nothing to do with Representative Walker. This particular group has been on a political witch hunt, and it's appalling at what they will sacrifice or who they intend to hurt in this process. I am very much saddened to see the politics in the state of Utah from these folks has drooped to an all time low level."

Clark alleged that Irvine and those who filed the complaint had contacted Democratic legislators on the committee before today's meeting to try and influence them. One Democratic committee member, David Litvack from Salt Lake City, told me that allegation is false.

Litvack: "I did not meet or discuss with the complainants or the complainants' attorney the ethics investigation regarding Mr. Walker. I personally can attest for my colleagues on the committee, the Democrats on the committee tried to approach this with the utmost integrity and objectivity."

The Salt Lake County GOP will now decide who will fill Walker's spot for the rest of the year by forwarding a name along to Governor Jon Huntsman, who must confirm the appointment.

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