R.I. ethics panel dismisses complaint against AG Lynch
12:07 PM Tue, Nov 03, 2009 | Permalink
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By Mike Stanton The Rhode Island Ethics Commission on Tuesday dismissed a complaint against Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch for accepting a $428 plane ticket from the National Cable and Telecommunications Association for a conference in New Orleans last year. The complaint, filed last month by the R.I. GOP, hinged on whether the association that paid for the ticket was an "interested person'' under state ethics law that caps gifts to public officials at $75 from a party with official business in Rhode Island involving that public official. Ross Cheit, vice chairman of the Ethics Commission, said that the commissioners voted 4-0 to accept a recommendation by staff prosecutor Esme DeVault that the telecommunications association was not an interested party under the definition of the law. "Is this a loophole? I don't know,'' said Cheit. "It raises questions about the rules governing national trade associations that we should look at.'' Cox Communications, a member of the association that paid for Lynch's plane ticket, is subject to regulation in Rhode Island and Lynch, as attorney general, can intervene on the public's behalf on matters involving the cable company. But Cheit noted that the national association never appears in Rhode Island. Richard S. Humphrey, a lawyer for Lynch, said that the attorney general took the trip as part of his official duties, to help reach a landmark agreement to remove child-pornography Web sites from the Internet. "This is a victory for the State of Rhode Island,'' said Humphrey. "And a complete and utter defeat for the child pornography industry.'' Extra: Read the R.I. Ethics Commission ruling on the complaint against Lynch. 
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Wow, what a surprise!! Great watchdog group we have there.
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Can't we just save the taxpayers one heck of a lot of money and abolish the Ethics Commiccion?
What have they really done?
They are NOT proactive but just sit back and wait for someone to bring a complaint.
Isn't Smith Hill a "target rich" enviroment?
What a JOKE!!!!
They are almost as useless as he US Attonrey's Office under Corrente!
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Can't we just save the taxpayers one heck of a lot of money and abolish the Ethics Commiccion?
What have they really done?
They are NOT proactive but just sit back and wait for someone to bring a complaint.
Isn't Smith Hill a "target rich" enviroment?
What a JOKE!!!!
They are almost as useless as the US Attorney's Office under Corrente!
Report Abuse
Wow! What a shock. A bunch of politicaly appointed lawyers exonerate the states top lawyer, who could become governor and not reappoint them to their nice cushy job. That almost sounds like an ethical situation. We should put together an ethics commission in this state. Yeahhh.
Nice spin too by Humphrey away from the issue itself and make it look like if it wasnt for Lynch, getting rid of porn would have never happened. Hey, what do you expect, lawyers, politicians/ Its the Rhode Island way.
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