WA lawmaker stares down ethics charges ahead of rare public hearing

WA Democratic lawmaker facing ethics charges

Rep. Tarra Simmons, deputy speaker pro tem in the state House, emphatically denies wrongdoing and calls the charges unsubstantiated.

WA lawmaker stares down ethics charges ahead of rare public hearing

For more than a year, Rep. Tarra Simmons has been dogged by allegations she improperly used her cachet as a lawmaker and cash from her prior campaigns to assist two nonprofit organizations, one of which was her employer.

Washington Lawmaker Faces Rare Public Ethics Hearing

Olympia, Washington — Washington state Rep. Tarra Simmons (D-Bremerton) is preparing for a rare public ethics hearing next month after the state’s Legislative Ethics Board concluded there is reasonable cause to believe she violated conflict-of-interest and special privilege laws. The allegations center on Simmons’ interactions with two nonprofit organizations, including one where she previously worked as a part-time director of strategy. Ethics …

Washington lawmaker stares down ethics charges ahead of rare public hearing

For more than a year, Rep. Tarra Simmons has been dogged by allegations she improperly used her cachet as a lawmaker and cash from her prior campaigns to assist two nonprofit organizations, one of which was her employer. Simmons emphatically denies wrongdoing and calls the charges unsubstantiated. But as the case has dragged on, she said her political foes have been wielding the allegations as a cudgel in an ongoing campaign of harassment. “Even…

Washington lawmaker stares down ethics charges ahead of rare public hearing - The Daily Chronicle

For more than a year, Rep. Tarra Simmons has been dogged by allegations she improperly used her cachet as a lawmaker and cash from her prior campaigns to assist two nonprofit organizations, one of which was her employer. Simmons emphatically denies wrongdoing and calls the charges unsubstantiated. But as the case has dragged on, she said her political foes have been wielding the allegations as a cudgel in an ongoing campaign of harassment. “Even…