Hometown Newspaper Defends McMahan

From the Tecumseh Countywide News, in an editorial outlining the Gene Stipe-Steve Phipps campaign finance scandal and the actions of Governor Brad Henry, Congressman Dan Boren and Attorney General Drew Edmondson in ridding themselves of Stipe- and Phipps-related donations: "And then there’s Jeff McMahan. He has a double problem. First of all, he’s the only one of the four who actually was in a heated (read that expensive) campaign last year. Secondly, one of his employees (okay, former employee as of Tuesday) was accused of channeling a straw donation to Rep. Boren. When you take those things together and throw in the obvious need for that office to be above reproach at all times, you get an automatic recipe for distress.

"For our part, Mr. McMahan has always enjoyed our total confidence. He still does. He is doing all he can do. He fired Tim Arbaugh, the offending employee, even though that might give him trouble of another kind.

"But he can’t give any campaign funds to charity because he doesn’t have any left. He has been in two statewide campaigns and both have been close. His office is checking to see if it would be legal and proper to raise some more and give it away as a kind of offset. Things are on hold until that question is answered."

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