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SALT LAKE CITY — A complaint has been filed against Utah State Senate President J. Stuart Adams, accusing him of violating state election laws by failing to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign expenditures.
The Alliance for a Better Utah, a left-leaning policy think tank, filed the complaint with Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson’s Office. The group said it reviewed Adams’ expenditures for his campaigns and political action committees and found hundreds listed under entities like “Bank of America” or “American Express” with no clear indication as to where the money was spent, going back 14 years. The recipients of over $428,000 in campaign expenditures and $79,000 in PAC expenditures have not been disclosed, the group said.
“Campaign finance laws exist to deter corruption or even the very appearance of corruption. By not adequately disclosing his finances for over a decade, President Adams has contributed to a lack of transparency and accountability in our election system,” said Chase Thomas, the policy director for Alliance for a Better Utah.
“We hope this matter is resolved quickly so that the public can have a clearer picture of how campaign funds are being spent. Even when followed, our state’s campaign finance laws are among the weakest in the nation. As elections involve ever more money, we should be doing more to increase transparency in our campaign finance system so that we can maintain public trust.”
Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson’s office told FOX 13 News it would review the complaint.
In a statement to FOX 13 News on Thursday, Adams insisted that he has always followed state disclosure laws and guidance from the Lt. Governor’s Office and under a prior inquiry, was told he needed to do nothing further. Last week, he said, he received updated guidance that new requirements would be issued beginning January 2025.
“I have always been, and remain, fully committed to complying with campaign disclosure requirements. Additionally, I will adhere to the updated guidelines issued by the Lt. Governor’s Office last week,” he said. “The claim that I failed to follow campaign disclosure requirements is not just inaccurate but a blatant falsehood. This is nothing more than misleading rhetoric, with Better Utah once again resorting to desperate fundraising efforts built on misinformation. These kinds of deceitful tactics are intended to distract from the real work of improving our state.”
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