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Ohio Gov. Bob Taft Faces Reprimand
Gov. Bob Taft faces a public reprimand for ethics violations under an agreement his attorney has reached with the state office that monitors lawyers' behavior.
Taft, a Republican who has been an attorney since 1976, pleaded no contest last August to failing to report golf outings and other gifts while in office and was fined $4,000.
Taft would receive a public reprimand for his convictions on those misdemeanor ethics violations under an agreement forged by the governor's private attorney and the Ohio Supreme Court's disciplinary counsel.
Jonathan Coughlan, the disciplinary counsel, filed a complaint in April saying Taft's actions violated Ohio's code of professional conduct for lawyers.
Story Continues Below "I admit the violation ... as outlined in this agreement," Taft wrote in an affidavit attached to a copy of the deal obtained Friday by The (Toledo) Blade. The agreement must still be approved by a disciplinary board and the state Supreme Court.
"The governor has been upfront and has taken personal responsibility in these matters and he continues to do the same in this matter," Taft spokesman Mark Rickel said. The misdemeanor ethics charges and the professional complaint stemmed from the governor's failure to report gifts worth nearly $6,000 that he received over four years. The case had spiraled off a scandal over state losses from investments in rare coins. Taft, a great-grandson of President and later Chief Justice William Howard Taft, is the first Ohio governor to be charged with a crime while in office. He never considered resigning, but he forced out several staff members in the past for improperly accepting gifts.
© 2006 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Editor's note:
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