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Kansas Ethics Panel Silent On Complaint Against Brownback

Stephen Koranda
/
KPR/File photo

The Kansas ethics commission has announced no action on a complaint filed by a top Democrat against Republican Gov. Sam Brownback's re-election campaign.

The commission emerged from a 20-minute closed session Wednesday without saying anything about the complaint filed last month by Kansas Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley.

The Topeka Democrat accused Brownback's 2014 re-election campaign of violating state law by using its funds to pay five law firms more than $167,000 last year.

Hensley said he was told the commission would review his complaint Wednesday. Commission members and staffers would not comment.

A federal grand jury last year investigated three loans to the campaign in 2013 and 2014 totaling $1.5 million from Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer. The U.S. attorney's office said in June there would be no criminal charges.

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