Lawmaker hires lawyer to rebut ethics charges

Lawmaker hires lawyer to rebut ethics charges


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(KSL News) Two ethics complaints against members of the Utah state legislature will be heard later this month, and one of the accused lawmakers has retained a lawyer to represent him.

Rep. Greg Hughes has hired Thomas Karrenberg to help him rebut charges he tried to bribe another lawmaker to change her vote on a school voucher bill. Hughes will appear before the House Ethics Committee to answer the charges on Oct. 9.

Rep. Todd Kiser, House Ethics Committee co-chair, said, "If I had time to move this slower, I would; but because it's an election year, we have that piece falling into this, and in fairness to the candidates, I don't want it to linger until after the election period."

Karrenberg says he and Hughes also are looking at possible legal action against the representatives making the allegations. One of those representatives is Phil Riesen, who also will appear before the House Ethics Committee to answer charges he leaked information about the Hughes investigation to the press.

That hearing will take place on Oct. 20.

The tension between lawmakers Riesen and Hughes reportedly almost led to blows earlier this week. Highway Patrol troopers were called to the Capitol garage on Tuesday on reports of two men arguing and pushing each other. Surveillance video shows Chris Bleak, in the light shirt, who is Chief of Staff to House Speaker Greg Curtis. He was trying to keep Hughes and Riesen apart, according to a police report.

UHP spokesman Jeff Nigbur said, "We counseled Rep. Hughes to maybe leave the premises to cool down for a second, maybe get his bearings a little bit more."

Bleak has not commented on the incident and told Highway Patrol troopers he did not want to give a statement about the incident.

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