Opinion ID: 2029434
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 14

Heading: Hergert's Duplicity Before January 6, 2005

Text: The Legislature has built its case on a paper trail of strong circumstantial evidence. The evidence clearly and convincingly establishes that in both the primary and general elections, Hergert intentionally delayed filing his forty-percent affidavits in an effort to ensure that his opponents did not receive, or did not timely receive, public funding. His conduct and inconsistent excuses undercut his credibility. Hergert's second campaign statement in the primary election period demonstrates that by failing to file the forty-percent affidavit, a nonabiding candidate can manipulate the reporting requirements for campaign statements to keep an abiding candidate from timely receiving public funds. A nonabiding candidate can accomplish this by delaying his or her expenditures and contributions until just after the closing date of the preceding reporting period. This is what happened in the primary election. As noted, once Hergert expended 40 percent of his estimated expenditures, Blank was entitled to $40,000 in public funds for the primary election  the difference between the $25,000 spending limit and Hergert's $65,000 estimate. But because Hergert failed to file a forty-percent affidavit until after the primary election, the NADC had no notice that Hergert had exceeded 40 percent of his maximum estimated expenditures until the filing deadline for the second campaign statement. Because the NADC's notice of Hergert's expenditures was delayed, public funds were not disbursed to Blank until 5 to 6 days before the primary election. Hergert's conduct in the general election period was more egregious. Based on Hergert's amended estimate of $40,000 in expenditures, Blank should have been eligible for $15,000 in public campaign funds  the difference between the voluntary spending limit and Hergert's estimate. But because of Hergert's conduct in the general election, Blank did not receive any public funding. In the general election, Hergert not only failed to file his forty-percent affidavit until 10 days after the general election, he also omitted key expenditures on his second campaign statement that would have alerted the NADC that he had exceeded 40 percent of his maximum estimated expenditures by the closing date of the second reporting period. By omitting from his October 25, 2004, campaign statement expenditures to Majority Strategies and Scott Cottington, Inc.  services for which he had received invoices and was unquestionably obligated to pay  Hergert intentionally concealed these facts. Similarly, had Hergert timely reported the $44,000 loan his committee received on October 22, 2004, the NADC would have been alerted to the probable existence of corresponding campaign expenditures. Hergert's omission of material expenditures on his October 25 campaign statement served to keep Blank from obtaining public funding for the general election. Hergert's delinquent reporting of the late $44,000 contribution ensured that the NADC would not question his omission of material expenditures in his October 25 campaign statement. Hergert's explanations for these omissions are not credible, given his pattern of conduct and inconsistencies. For example, Hergert claimed in his State Patrol interview that his office staff was solely responsible for the accuracy of his campaign filings and, specifically, for the October 26, 2004, date used as the date his committee received the $44,000 loan. In his deposition, he initially testified that he did not know the source for the October 26 date. However, when specifically asked whether he would contradict Herrell's testimony that Hergert gave her the October 26 date to use for the late contribution report and forty-percent affidavit, he admitted that he had provided the date. While Hergert claimed that he and Herrell tore up the office searching for his lost forty-percent affidavit, Herrell testified that Hergert had never spoken to her about a lost affidavit other than to dictate the letter he sent to the NADC in November 2004. Hergert claimed in his State Patrol interview that he and Herrell determined the date of an expenditure  for the purpose of triggering the filing of his forty-percent affidavit-was the date a check cleared the bank. Yet, Hergert admitted that he did not look to see if a check had cleared the bank, and Herrell testified that she had never been told to look for such evidence.