CT Senate GOP Statement on Former Chief State’s Attorney Paying $7 K to Resolve Alleged Ethics Violations

For Immediate Release 

Sen. Rob Sampson and Sen. Stephen Harding today issued the following statement regarding Connecticut’s former Chief State’s Attorney paying $7,000 to resolve alleged ethics violations. The former Chief State’s Attorney, who did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement, allegedly hired Gov. Ned Lamont’s then-deputy state budget director’s daughter in exchange for staff raises.

“We commend the Office of State Ethics for reaching this resolution. And we agree with the ethics office’s Executive Director, who emphasized that ‘state service must be free of quid pro quo arrangements.’ The amount of the allowable civil penalty fine limit may need to be adjusted upward going forward in order to give our state ethics laws more teeth.

Senate Republicans have repeatedly noted how shocking it is that Gov. Lamont and Democrats have remained largely silent as state government ethics goes sideways. Their inaction and failure to speak out forcefully only emboldens those who believe they can bend rules and norms for personal or political gain.

The message from state government must be clear: misconduct will not be tolerated.”