I’ve been trying to keep up this week with Tom DeLay’s various schemes and the details of Gov. Rick Perry’s sweet lobbying deal, but it seems like Texas Republicans are always going to be one long step ahead of me. News of further ingenuity from the San Antonio Express News:
Exactly how much did a major political donor give a state official as a gift? According to the Texas Ethics Commission, the public doesn’t have a right to know.
State law requires officials to file personal financial disclosure statements including a description of gifts they get in excess of $250.
But the commission, in a case involving a check received by a prominent Republican and trustee of the Employees Retirement System of Texas, has found that describing such a gift simply as “check” is enough. No amount is necessary.
That means the gift could be $251 or any amount over that – whether it’s $1,000 or $1 million – in a decision one lawmaker called an “Alice in Wonderland” interpretation.
Genius! Let’s see if the trend catches on.
