Utah Republican Party leaders decided to table a discussion about a scandal affecting Attorney General John Swallow over the weekend. Swallow is being investigated by the US Attorney’s Office for allegedly helping business man Jeremy Johnson bribe US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Members of the GOP State Central Committee voted against holding a formal discussion on the issue, though some say it’s one of the most important issues facing the party.
Wasatch County Republican Chair Aaron Gabrielson was disappointed to see that the scandal was not on the committee meeting’s agenda, so he proposed that the issue be brought up for discussion.
“I felt like we owed it to the voters of the state of Utah to tackle this head on, and send a strong message that the Republican Party doesn’t condone these actions, and that we should make a strong statement that the Republican Party will police its own, that we demand the highest ethical standards of all of our public officials, especially the Attorney General,” said Gabrielson.
State Republican Party Chair Thomas Wright told KUER he respects the committee’s decision to table the discussion.
“The vote was to allow the investigation to go forward, and to let the facts come to light, and to let John Swallow have his day of being innocent until proven guilty,” said Swallow.
Wright released a statement earlier saying the party would work to expose and stop corruption, but that it was necessary to find out the facts before making judgments.
