McKee faces campaign finance probe over free lunch

(The Center Square) — Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee is being investigated by the state Ethics Commission over allegations that he violated campaign finance laws by accepting a free lunch from a lobbyist.

The commission voted last week to open a formal investigation probing whether the Democrat broke state ethics law when he allowed a representative of a firm that was seeking approval from the state for a $55 million redevelopment project to buy him lunch.

A complaint, filed by the state Republican Party, says Jeff Britt, a lobbyist representing a development firm, paid $228 for a meal at a Providence restaurant in January.

At the time, Britt was representing Scout Ltd., a company that was seeking approval for a plan to redevelop a former armory building in downtown Providence.

Under the state’s ethics law, public officials are prohibited from accepting gifts or items worth $25 or more from someone seeking to do business with the state government.

The complaint acknowledges that McKee’s campaign reimbursed Britt for the lunch, but only after news reports revealed the incident.

“McKee did not ‘immediately’ repay Britt for the cost of the lunch, but instead waited five months,” the complaint reads. “Refunding a gift immediately after you have been exposed by the media does not comply with the Ethics Code.”

Two company officials also gave McKee two campaign checks totalling $1,000 on the day of the dinner, according to state campaign finance filings.

McKee’s campaign has dismissed the GOP’s complaint as “politically motivated” and pledged to cooperate with the commission’s investigation.

“The campaign looks forward to the conduct and conclusion of the investigation by the Ethics Commission,” the campaign said in a statement.

The governor’s office canceled a contract with the firm earlier this month after a consultant hired by the state determined that the proposed redevelopment plan would cost the state an estimated $10.5 million over the next 15 years.

Republicans argue that incident is part of a larger “pay-to-play” political culture in Rhode Island, citing recent incidents involving other elected Democrats.

Joe Powers, chairman of the state Republican party, said he welcomes the Ethics Commission’s probe into McKee’s “unethical conduct.”

“McKee is one of the faces atop Rhode Island’s unethical political establishment,” Powers said in a statement. “He needs to be held accountable.”