Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee violated state ethics laws by accepting a gift from a nonprofit organization tied to lobbying activities, the Tennessee Ethics Commission ruled Tuesday. The decision requires Lee to reimburse the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) for travel expenses it covered when he spoke at a July conference.
In its seven-page opinion, the commission found that the travel reimbursement constituted an indirect gift, prohibited under state law, from an advocacy group closely connected to its lobbying affiliate, ADF Action.
The commission noted the significant overlap between ADF and ADF Action, including shared board members, a common lobbyist, and similar missions. “Even a cursory review of the information presented by ADF and ADF Action establishes a close working relationship in pursuit of similar goals with resources shared to achieve their common purposes,” the report stated.
Lee attended the Alliance Defending Freedom Summit in South Florida as a keynote speaker, with ADF covering his travel expenses.
Ethics Review and Commission Findings
In September, Lee initially declined to reimburse ADF for the travel costs but later requested an ethics review. The commission’s opinion highlighted the blurred distinctions between ADF and ADF Action, describing the task of separating the two as “an exercise in mental gymnastics.”
Erin Merrick, chief counsel for Lee, argued that ADF Action, registered as a lobbying entity, operates separately from ADF, which had paid for Lee’s travel. However, the commission determined that the two organizations’ shared resources and overlapping missions made them effectively indistinguishable in this context.
Response and Legislative Implications
Rep. Caleb Hemmer, a Nashville Democrat, expressed disappointment over the situation and vowed to push for stronger ethics laws in the upcoming legislative session.
“It’s disappointing that these actions happened at all. I hope this advisory opinion will stop lobbyist groups from offering these illegal and unethical trips to influence the Lee Administration,” Hemmer said in a statement.
The commission’s ruling concludes that Lee must reimburse ADF for the cost of the trip, a step the governor now appears ready to take following the ethics review.
ADF, based in Arizona, describes its mission as advancing “every person’s God-given right to live and speak the truth.” Its lobbying arm, ADF Action, focuses on public policy advocacy related to religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and other issues.
This ruling may set a precedent for stricter enforcement of ethics laws in Tennessee, particularly regarding gifts to public officials from organizations linked to lobbying activities.
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