Ethics panel dismisses complaint against Speaker Bosma
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana House Ethics Committee has dismissed a complaint against Speaker Brian Bosma who was accused of illegally using campaign funds to collect unflattering information about a former intern.
The committee said Monday that “reasonable cause does not exist to support the alleged violation.” The committee had hired a lawyer to review the matter.
Bosma, a Republican, says he’s pleased with the ethics committee’s “unanimous and bipartisan decision.”
Bosma had paid a law firm more than $40,000 in campaign funds to gather unflattering information about a woman who said she had a sexual encounter with him in 1992, The Indianapolis Star reported. Bosma, who is married, denies the woman’s claim.
Bosma says he hired a lawyer to protect his reputation from a false story. But critics say he used campaign money for something that wasn’t related to his campaign.