Gov. Beebe, GOP Officials Call For Lt. Gov. Darr To Resign (UPDATED)

One day after the state’s highest ranking Republican agreed to a $11,000 ethics fine, the state’s No. 1 Democrat called for his resignation.

Gov. Mike Beebe (D) told reporters on Tuesday morning (Dec. 31) that Lt. Gov. Mark Darr (R) should resign his post.

“The facts speak for themselves,” Beebe said. “It’s in everybody’s best interest, including Mr. Darr, if he resigned.”

After an ethics complaint championed by Blue Hog Report blogger Matt Campbell provided evidence that Darr had misused campaign and office funds for personal use, Darr became the subject of several investigations. On Monday (Dec. 30), Darr agreed to $11,000 in Arkansas Ethics Commission fines after misuse of nearly $44,000 in campaign funds was uncovered.

Legislative auditors have also discovered numerous accounts of misuse of public funds in the Lt. Governor’s office. In a report provided earlier this month, audit staff found nearly $12,000 were spent from the office on travel expenses and a state credit card account. Some items were flagged for improper documentation.

Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley is reviewing documents from the investigations for possible criminal charges.

Beebe said he spoke with Darr on Tuesday morning. Darr told Beebe he had no plans to resign – an action Beebe described as “disappointing.”

“The mistakes I made have been well-documented. My focus now is on making things right with the people of Arkansas,” Darr said.

The two leading candidates for Arkansas Governor weighed in on the controversy.

Democrat Mike Ross said, “Our elected officials must be held to the highest possible standard, and they must have the people’s absolute trust and confidence in order to effectively do their jobs. Lieutenant Governor Mark Darr has admitted he improperly spent campaign and taxpayer dollars, and therefore he should act in the best interest of the state of Arkansas and resign immediately.”

Republican front-runner Asa Hutchinson said, “In the case of Lt. Gov. Mark Darr, the ethical violations are troubling and serious and should be reviewed by the prosecuting attorney. As a former prosecutor, I understand the importance of holding public officials accountable for improper conduct. In my view, the public has a right to expect the highest level of ethical conduct by its elected officials and the public should demand resignation when criminal conduct has occurred. It should be noted that only a prosecutor or grand jury can assess the question of criminal conduct and whether there is probable cause for criminal charges. It is my understanding that the Pulaski County prosecutor is reviewing the ethical violations of Lt. Gov. Mark Darr. It is important that the prosecutor assess the violations to determine whether criminal conduct has occurred and charges should be filed. If criminal charges are filed then a resignation should be demanded. Until then, we should let the process work and expect the decision of the Ethics Commission in terms of fine and amended reports to be fulfilled.”

Also, all 5 Republican members of Arkansas’ Congressional delegation – Sen. John Boozman, Reps. Rick Crawford, Tim Griffin, Steve Womack, and Tom Cotton – today issued the following joint statement calling for the immediate resignation of Lt. Governor Mark Darr:

“As elected officials, we are keepers of the public trust. We are bound by a very strict code of conduct that is the basis of that trust. Based on Lt. Governor Darr’s own admissions, it is clear he has violated that trust, and he should step down immediately for the good of our state.”

Doyle Webb, chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas, adopted Hutchinson’s position of waiting to see if criminal charges are warranted.

“The Republican Party of Arkansas stands for holding our public officials to the highest standard of ethical conduct. Lieutenant Governor Mark Darr has appropriately admitted to his ethics violations, has apologized to the people of Arkansas, and has begun the process of paying restitution for his mistakes and correcting his campaign finance reports. All these actions have been taken for the purpose of restoring the public’s trust in his service as Lieutenant Governor. We are confident that any further legal review or investigation will be conducted appropriately and that if criminal charges are warranted we will request his resignation immediately,” Webb said.

Democratic Party of Arkansas chair Vince Insalaco did call on Darr to resign.

“The Ethics Commission report confirmed what the Legislative Audit showed – that Mark Darr has a disregard for the law. He has misused more taxpayer and campaign funds than the majority of Arkansans make in a year,” Insalaco said. “Darr’s reassurance that he won’t have the same problems in the future is too little, too late. Our elected officials must be held accountable and Mark Darr’s record of irresponsibility is entrenched. Arkansans deserve better. Mark Darr should resign immediately.”