Cleveland County Republican Party Chairman Bobby Cleveland is accusing state legislators of violating a Constitutional prohibition against giving public funds to private organizations.
On his blog, That’s Just Bob, Cleveland alleges that Republican leaders in the State Legislature are wrongly circumventing the law by appropriating state dollars to ACOG, which then takes that money and gives it to private companies and organizations such as the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas and the Jim Thorpe Association. If the state were to give these organizations the money directly, it would violate the state constitution. Cleveland believes their actions are similar to money laundering and asks why legislators are trying to hide the transactions through a third-party group.
Cleveland further alleges that certain legislators told him that Speaker Chris Benge threatened their committee assignments if they voted against the appropriations.
