A House special investigative committee sought on Feb. 26 to get to the bottom of an incident involving campaign donation checks distributed to lawmakers on the floor of the lower chamber. The committee is made up of seven representatives.
They heard hours of tense public testimony by House representatives and persons of interest who were alleged to have received or witnessed Teton County conservative activist and fundraiser Rebecca Bextel hand-deliver checks on the House floor on Feb. 9, the first day of the Legislature’s budget session.
The Legislative Service Office (LSO) shared security camera footage and photos of the incident, and several lawmakers implicated in it brought the checks they received from Bextel.
Bextel also testified, blaming Wyoming Democrats and “counterfeit Republicans” for the investigation into the incident.
The investigative committee was selected by House Speaker Rep. Chip Neiman (R-Hulett) on Feb. 13. Neiman said he also received a check from Bextel, but in his office in the state Capitol building, not on the floor.
The House unanimously voted to create the committee on Feb. 12. Its work comes amid a parallel criminal bribery investigation through the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office that began on Feb. 14.
Background
On the first day of the legislative budget session, Bextel, a Teton County donor to the Wyoming Freedom Caucus political action committee, handed out checks from Donald Grasso, a Jackson donor, to Rep. Darin McCann (R-Rock Springs) and Rep. Marlene Brady (R-Green River) while standing on the House floor after the Legislature had gaveled out. Bextel is a GOP state committeewoman.
That’s based on a public statement made by McCann on the House floor, Facebook posts made by Bextel and a photo obtained by Wyoming Public Radio of the interaction taken by a Democratic representative. That same representative, Rep. Karlee Provenza (D-Laramie), told WPR she witnessed Rep. Joe Webb (R-Lyman), Brady and McCann receive checks from Bextel firsthand on Feb. 9. All three are endorsees of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus.
Grasso’s name and copies of the checks he signed are publicly available on the Wyoming Legislature’s webpage for the committee meetings.
The photo of the incident was first reported by WyoFile in collaboration with the Jackson Hole News&Guide.
The checks incident became public during debate on the House floor over a housing bill on Feb. 11. That bill would prohibit local governments from imposing certain fees or conditions on residential or commercial development, something Jackson has tried to do to support affordable housing.
The bill, HB 141, is sponsored by former Freedom Caucus chair Rep. John Bear (R-Gillette) and other caucus members.
The meeting convenes
The investigative committee met in the state Capitol’s Historic Supreme Court Room. Sitting in a semicircle around a wood table, Rep. Art Washut (R-Casper) explained the ground rules for the seven-member panel.
“This is not a trial, it is not a criminal proceeding, it is not a civil proceeding. It is a legislative fact-finding inquiry,” said Washut. “This is also a legislative investigation of colleagues.”
He referenced the volume of new reporting done on the subject.
“Our responsibility is to bring order to that blizzard of information,” he said. “Our time is limited. Let me repeat that. Our time is limited. And our duties are broad.”
Washut said the committee’s duty is twofold: Determine whether checks were provided to members of the House on the floor, and determine whether that violates any rule provisions that were in place at the time.
LSO Director Matt Obrecht told the committee, “No witness is being granted or is purported to be granted immunity.”
He explained that the information witnesses provide is not confidential and could be used in future legislative or judicial proceedings.
The first witness called to testify was Provenza, who made the motion for the committee’s creation on Feb. 12. Committee members asked her, and many subsequent witnesses, a series of questions about the details of the hand-off of checks.
Provenza said she watched Rep. Nina Webber (R-Cody) walk with Bextel and two women she didn’t know onto the floor. She said checks were given, in order, to Reps. Webb, Brady and McCann. The Albany County lawmaker said she took four photos of the exchanges on her iPhone.
Committee member Rep. Scott Heiner (R-Green River), a member of the Freedom Caucus, asked Provenza why she didn’t avail herself of a joint legislative rule detailing a private process for lawmakers to bring formal complaints forward to leadership.
“What I saw was an egregious use of the House floor,” she said. “I also wanted the truth. Going forward to the press meant that journalists would have to corroborate what I saw.”
She continued, “I went public because I didn't trust that a private process behind the scenes was going to result in the complete truth.”
Provenza was then excused by the committee and left the room.
After that, Tamara Rivale, an attorney for the LSO, showed the committee a slideshow that contained security camera footage of Bextel handing what appear to be slips of paper to Webb, Brady and McCann while standing on the House floor.
A separate security camera video shows Bextel handing a check to Rep. Christopher Knapp (R-Gillette), also on the House floor. Knapp is the vice chair of the Freedom Caucus.
Members of the public and press are generally banned from walking onto the House floor. Lawmakers can sometimes invite specific members of the public or press to their desks on the floor. LSO previously confirmed to WPR that Bextel is a credentialed member of the media for the 2026 budget session.
The committee heard from 13 additional witnesses, most of whom were House lawmakers. A few of those lawmakers said they did not directly witness Bextel on the floor or overhear any conversation, and were dismissed shortly thereafter by the committee.
At one point, Rep. Liz Storer (D-Jackson) testified before lawmakers about the incident. Heiner asked Storer if she was familiar with the same joint rule outlining complaint procedures that he brought up with Provenza.
“Did you discuss with Rep. Provenza any time after this event about Joint Rule 22-1, and how this should be brought to the attention of leadership?” Heiner said.
“Not that I recall,” said Storer.
Storer went on shortly after that exchange.
“To me, it was somewhat remarkable to have Ms. Bextel come on the floor and take the action that she did, given that there appeared to be other opportunities to provide those checks to members of the House of Representatives,” she said. “There was a GOP dinner that was being held in the [Capitol] extension about 10 minutes later [that night].”
A few witnesses later, Webber walked over to the microphone and was advised of her rights as a witness by Obrecht. Security camera footage shows Webber walking alongside Bextel to Webb, Brady and McCann.
“Did someone contact you requesting that you escort them onto the floor?” said Rep. Reuben Tarver (R-Gillette).
“I don’t recall that,” said Webber. She said she heard Bextel in the hallway laughing and went to see who it was.
Webber was also asked if she pointed Bextel in the direction of Webb, Brady or McCann. She responded, “I don't recall doing that.”
Rep. Martha Lawley (R-Worland) asked her if she received a text from Bextel asking to come onto the floor. Webber answered, “I don't recall that.”
Washut asked Webber to check her cell phone to see if she had any text messages from the time that night when Bextel visited the floor. Webber checked her phone and said, “I do not.”
He asked if she had any recollection of deleting text messages from that night, to which Webber responded, “I do not.”
A few witnesses later, the representatives who received a check on the floor testified.
Webb was called to speak before the committee first. Webb said he had never discussed low income housing with Bextel personally, a topic at the center of HB 141, but that he’d once seen a public Facebook post from Bextel about the subject.
Webb said Bextel did not speak to him about legislation like HB 141 on Feb. 9 as she was handing him a check.
“Never at any time has anyone offered me money, anything of value or anything else to vote or not vote a certain way,” Webb said, reading from a prepared statement. “Should that happen, I would report it to the proper authorities. Never at any time, whether in person or by any other means of communication, has Mrs. Bextel discussed, hinted or even joked about offering money, anything of value or anything else in exchange for voting or not voting in a certain way.”
Brady testified to the committee after Webb. She said she witnessed Bextel on the floor of the House on Feb. 9, and that Bextel handed her a campaign contribution check from Grasso. She said that her check was made out to Marlene Brady for House District 60.
“I do not recall,” Brady told Rep. Ivan Posey (D-Fort Washakie) when asked what Bextel told her as she handed her the check. Brady said she didn’t recall when asked how long she’s known Bextel. She said she did not know Grasso personally.
Posey asked her if she’d received campaign contributions from or through Bextel in the past.
“I don’t recall,” she responded. “They’re online with the secretary of state’s office.”
Posey later asked Brady what Bextel told her about the check at the time she delivered it to her.
“I just said, I don't recall,” Brady said.
McCann went next. He told the committee he didn’t know why Bextel gave him that check at that time, and that Bextel hadn’t talked to him about any legislation beforehand.
He said he didn’t believe he’d received any campaign contribution from Bextel in the past, and that he assumed the check from Grasso would be mailed.
One of the documents included in the committee’s materials lays out a text message exchange between McCann and Bextel after a reporter approached McCann for information about the checks incident on Feb. 11.
“I told her what happened and that it was no different than the donor sending them in the mail,” McCann texted Bextel at the time.
“What does it matter?” responded Bextel. “You guys have to have it to get elected.”
“I told her if she spins it, I’ll never talk to her again,” McCann wrote.
After that message, McCann texted Bextel, “HB 141 is up.” The rest of the exchange is cut off.
Knapp spoke after McCann. He also received a check on the House floor.
“No rule of the House has been violated, no law has been broken,” said Knapp. “Campaign contributions are protected as free speech under the First Amendment. No request, offer or acceptance of any action on any vote was made in conjunction with this campaign donation. I feel this investigation could’ve easily been done through [the] rules process through LSO and House leadership.”
Knapp said he had offered an amendment to Provenza’s initial motion to create the committee, but said he was “denied drafting up the amendment by LSO.”
“I would like that put into the record for the committee,” he said.
He did not offer any corroborating information or further detail about the LSO’s alleged denial.
Then, an LSO staffer went through another powerpoint showing text messages between Bextel and a number of lawmakers, including Rep. John Bear (R-Gillette), the former chair of the Freedom Caucus.
In that exchange, which appeared to be from January, Bextel asked Bear if Tarver would be in need of a check for his campaign. Tarver is one member of the investigative committee. Bear responded, “Reuben won’t need $ in my opinion.”
As the staffer was describing the exchange, Washut asked if the messages were specific to the checks on the floor.
“So, it is referencing that transaction on the floor,” Washut said.
“Correct,” the staffer said.
Bextel, seated nearby in the audience, said, “It’s not, it’s not,” and continued talking.
Washut asked her not to interrupt and gaveled Bextel down.
Finally, the committee heard from Bextel. She said she was at the state Capitol building on Feb. 9 to watch the budget session.
Washut asked Bextel what her intention was in going on the House floor that day.
“Just to say hey to everybody,” said Bextel.
He asked if she saw people on the floor she wanted to give checks to, and if she gave those people checks. Bextel answered yes to both.
Bextel said she had no previous relationships with anyone she gave checks to.
Asked if it was her intention to influence legislation by giving out checks, Bextel said it was not.
After the committee finished asking questions, Bextel read from a statement.
“Wyoming, we deserve better,” she said. “If the Democrats had followed the rules, this would have been over in a matter of hours. But some in our Legislature have tried to derail your budget session, and I believe the LSO Director Matt Obrecht is in on it. When did you see the photos?” she said, looking at Obrecht.
“Democrats are not the threat, because we know their intentions. They plan to change the very fabric of Wyoming if we let them. The real scandal that affects Wyoming is this: We have Democrats masquerading as Republicans in our Wyoming Legislature. These counterfeit Republicans were elected into office on the 23 planks of the Republican platform, yet they are doing the bidding of Democrats.”
Washut then urged Bextel to stick to the issue at hand.
“These people need to be run out of office, and I plan to help,” she said. “I passed out $1,500 from a donor in full transparency. There is not a single legislator in this Capitol that I believe can be compromised for $1,500, but apparently I think better of all of you than some of your colleagues do.”
The committee then ended the evening by going into executive session. Executive sessions aren’t open to the public, Obrecht told the committee, and added that those sessions are for lawmakers to receive confidential information.
After the meeting gaveled out, WPR spoke with Provenza as she walked across the lawn near the Herschler building.
“I’ll just say that it’s really interesting that I keep getting asked about following rules when I use my First Amendment rights,” she said. “It’s really unfortunate.”
The committee might prepare a report on the incident to the full House sometime this session.
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.
