SHANNON McCAFFREY
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA - Republican gubernatorial hopeful Nathan Deal tapped his state gubernatorial campaign account to pay more than $19,000 in legal fees to defend against congressional ethics allegations.
Deal's lawyer, Randy Evans, called the move "perfectly legal."
But one nonpartisan watchdog called the arrangement troubling.
"It doesn't smell good to me," said Bill Bozarth, executive director of Common Cause Georgia.
"It is not money you raise and then use to print fliers and yard signs. It is quite something else."
The state ethics commission said it was unclear whether the expenditures violated campaign law, which stipulates that campaign funds must be used for "ordinary and necessary expenses" related to running for office. Whether a congressional ethics investigation falls into that category appears to be gray area in Georgia.
Ethics