I’ve been getting a kick out of 1st District Rep. Alan Mollohan‘s (D-W.Va) campaign and campaign supporters trying to hurt Democrat State Sen. Michael Oliverio by linking him to the American Legislative Exchange Council.

In a recent ad Mollohan they defend themselves against Oliverio attacks and then slam Oliverio for being the state co-chair for ALEC:

Absolutely hilarious. if ALEC is guilty of anything they’re guilty of providing great research on state economic issues. Their information of pension debt has helped us here at West Virginia Watchdog write stories. They are a non-partisan 501(c)3 with a focus on free markets and fiscal responsibility. They work with members of all political parties. Our current governor, Joe Manchin, was the state chair before Oliverio.

Of course this is just a deflection from Mollohan’s actions. In the ad above he calls mentions of his support of five non-profit agencies he created and their donations back to him “smears” and “lies.” While the Department of Justice cleared him of wrongdoing, that doesn’t mean these things didn’t happen. If these actions look fine, then why have donations from those non-profits dropped off? Apparently someone got the hint that the appearance of prid quo pro was harmful.

Another key point: The House Ethics Committee dropped their investigation of Mollohan while the criminal probe was going on. What he did may not be illegal, but it may still be a violation of House ethics rules. Unless the committee resumes its probe we’ll never know. But they didn’t exonerate or condemn him; they simply stopped.

As I often tell people who disapprove of my reporting of these issues, if you’re fine with his actions then by all means vote for him. If you don’t approve, then vote for someone else. I’m simply providing information. But prid quo pro looks far worse than being part of an agency that studies state economies.

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