INDIANAPOLIS –Todd Rokita says he’s a steward of public dollars. Last Thursday, he told WANE that he’ll protect the public trust; “it’s not our money, it’s the taxpayer’s money.” But check the receipts and you’ll see Todd has had more than a little trouble keeping his fingers out of the public till and brazenly used his public office to advance his personal interests.
FACT: Rokita used millions of taxpayer dollars to promote himself. They literally rewrote the law to keep Rokita from using public dollars to pump up his political ambitions.
Rokita spent over $2 million on TV and radio ad campaigns which he appeared in and some thought were designed to raised Rokita’s name ID ahead of the 2012 governor’s race.
The State Senate voted 50-0 in a “highly unusual” roll call vote to reject a bid by Rokita’s office to remove language barring state officeholders from using the fund to buy advertising that identifies the official.
FACT: From FY2008 to FY 2010, Rokita’s Secretary of State office budget ballooned by $3M or 72.3%.
FACT: Rokita’s Secretary of State’s Office issued over $20 million in state contracts to companies and individuals who donated nearly $75,000 to Rokita’s campaign committee.
Indiana Democratic Party Chairman John Zody called out Rokita’s rhetoric for what it is: a lie.
“Todd Rokita will do and say anything to get elected,” said Zody. “Todd’s behavior was so blatantly exploitative, members of his own party passed a law to keep politicians from abusing the public trust and treasury to promote their political ambitions. He can look into the camera and flat out lie but Hoosiers know Todd Rokita will spend their tax dollars with just one person’s interests in mind: his own.”
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