This is a breaking news story and may be updated.
Lawmakers in the Wyoming House voted to begin an investigation into alleged misconduct involving a Teton County conservative activist who distributed checks to members of the lower chamber on the floor.
On Feb. 9, conservative fundraiser and Wyoming Freedom Caucus political action committee donor Rebecca Bextel handed out checks from a Teton County donor to Rep. Darin McCann (R-Rock Springs) and Rep. Marlene Brady (R-Green River) after the Legislature had gaveled out for the day. Brady and McCann are endorsees of the Freedom Caucus.
That’s according to Facebook posts made by Bextel and a photo obtained by Wyoming Public Radio that was taken by Rep. Karlee Provenza (D-Laramie) of the exchange. Provenza motioned to create the investigatory committee during floor debate on Feb. 12, which will conduct its business in the public eye. WyoFile first reported on the photo of the exchange of checks.
“There’s nothing wrong with delivering lawful campaign checks from Teton County donors when I am in Cheyenne,” wrote Bextel on Feb. 11. “These checks were written two weeks ago, and were not handed out while the House or Senate were in session.”
How we got here
The checks allegation initially came to light during debate on the House floor over a housing bill that would prohibit the government from imposing fees or conditions on residential or commercial development on Feb. 11.
The bill is sponsored by some Freedom Caucus lawmakers.
Rep. Mike Yin (D-Jackson) said, “This is not an accusation. This is solely just optics for the Legislature. My understanding is that that person handed out checks on the floor of the Legislature during this session. And so what I don't want is to have the optics that order that there are checks being handed out.”
Next, Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams (R-Cody) made a motion to file a protest against Yin for his comments. A protest is a formal procedural action to express dissent against another member or the body.
“Let the record reflect that at approximately 8:41 a.m., while debating House Bill 141, an allegation of quid pro quo was made during debate of the bill,” Rodriguez-Williams said, referring to Yin. “A representative made a defamatory statement that quote-unquote checks were distributed on the floor. And this alleges that legislators accepted these checks from the floor, which essentially would be bribery and unethical.”
The photo taken by Rep. Provenza shows Bextel handing a check to McCann, who is accepting it with his outstretched hand. Brady already has a check in her hand in the photo.
“ I think that the protest vote from Rachel Rodriguez-Williams – I think she said that if checks were handed out on the floor, that it would be unethical and potentially illegal,” Provenza told WPR in an interview near the House lobby after the protest was lodged. “And I agree. And those checks were handed out on the floor. And I know that what they did was unethical, whether by law or by virtue.”
Rep. Yin echoed Provenza, and said the chief issue with the incident was the appearance of impropriety.
“ I don't know whether that there's a linkage between checks and the bill, but I do know that it looks terrible to the public, and to all of our fellow colleagues, that there are checks that are handed out and then there's a bill that pops up,” said Yin.
Then, on Feb. 12, Provenza motioned for the creation of the investigatory committee. Lawmakers ultimately voted to create the committee.
“I made a mistake, I’ll own it,” McCann said during debate on the motion. “If it happened in a motel, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“I would encourage an investigation, I think that’s fine,” said Brady. “I will say, I think it’s unnecessary.”
Rep. Landon Brown (R-Cheyenne) urged lawmakers to support the motion.
“I think we need to go into this investigation, but I think we need to take a deep breath,” said Brown. “I think what happened here, frankly, it's a stain on the complete appearance of what this house stands for. I don't care what the outcome is, I think perception is reality.”
Rep. Martha Lawley (R-Worland) weighed in, too. She said she supports an investigation.
“I've already made the point that the only way out of this is a fair and transparent process,” said Lawley. “I would also ask you – what other option do we have at this point? In the first general session we all shared together, I brought a rule change about recording on the floor. And many of you voted against it. We’ve said it’s okay for representatives to privately record others. I didn’t agree with that then, I don't agree with that now.”
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
