Oxendine accuses state panel of wasting big money investigating him
Facing new allegations of political wrongdoing, former Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine fired back at the state ethics commission Saturday, accusing the panel of wasting taxpayer money in a long-running attack against him and his failed 2010 campaign for governor.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Saturday that the commission has rewritten an existing complaint against Oxendine, adding accusations that he accepted more than the legal limit from 20 donors during the 2010 campaign and that he spent $208,0000 in contributions raised for political races he never ran.
Oxendine, a colorful and controversial political figure during his 16 years as Insurance Commissioner, didn’t back down after the new allegations were released.
“Seven years ago, a bunch of government staffers brought wild and unsubstantiated claims against my campaign,” he said Saturday. “After wasting hundreds of thousand of taxpayer dollars, they have refused to produce one shred of evidence or even allow the case to appear before a judge. If they never take the case to a judge, they never have the embarrassment of losing."
The new charges in the ethics complaint came after the commission audited Oxendine’s campaign accounts in response to an AJC investigation in August.
Read more about the case against Oxendine and his response here.
About the Author
James Salzer has covered state government and politics in Georgia since 1990. He previously covered politics and government in Texas and Florida. He specializes in government finance, budgets, taxes, campaign finance, ethics and legislative history
