A flurry of cases in the past two years has been eye-popping, though, even for the most jaded veterans of Arkansas politics. Cranford also said he bribed the governor’s nephew, former Republican state Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, who denies the allegations and hasn’t been charged with taking bribes. State Sen. Gilbert Baker, who was no longer in the Senate and serving as a lobbyist when the alleged bribery scheme occurred, has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. … Those are matters of integrity and it’s not a matter of legislation.”The scandals prompted the state Senate to overhaul its ethics rules last year, including expanding financial disclosure requirements for state senators. The recent cases also led Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge to create a public integrity unit that she said would investigate corruption cases.

Source: National Post February 24, 2019 18:15 UTC