Marijuana interests raise nearly $58K for State Auditor David Yost while he was auditing Ohio pot plan

Ohioans trying to crack into the new medical marijuana industry raised $57,870 for Republican Ohio Auditor Dave Yost’s campaign for attorney general at the same time Yost was auditing the state’s marijuana program, records show.

“It certainly raises questions about the appearance of: Is there a quid pro quo going on here? Are these contributors giving money in the hopes of an outcome of an audit that is favorable to their personal interests? And will the auditor be affected by those contributions in how the audit is conducted?” said Erin Chlopak, senior counsel for the Campaign Legal Center and a former official with the Federal Elections Commission.

Yost campaign spokesperson Carlo LoParo strongly disagreed, saying none of the audit findings have been disputed and problems identified were corrected by state regulators. “There has never been a hint of impropriety regarding the audit team’s work or findings,” he said.

Read the full article