Ferguson Suing Tim Eyman Over Campaign Finance Issues

SEATTLE, WA - Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Friday morning that he would sue prolific initiative sponsor Tim Eyman and his associates for $2.1 million over campaign finance issues.

Ferguson is alleging that Eyman used over $300,000 in campaign contributions improperly for personal use and improperly reported close to $500,000 in political contributions. Ferguson wants Tim Eyman Watchdog for Taxpayers to pay a $1.8 million fine, plus another $308,000 in reimbursements.

“Taking kickbacks from contractors, using campaign funds for personal expenses, redirecting donations made for one initiative to a different initiative — it’s hard to imagine what more Mr. Eyman could have done to show his contempt for our campaign finance disclosure laws,” Ferguson said in a statement.

For the past 20 years, Eyman has been a sponsor of ballot initiatives in Washington state, particularly around issues of taxation.

His most famous achievement, perhaps, is getting an initiative passed that would require a two-thirds majority in the state Legislature to raise state taxes or fees. That requirement was later declared unconstitutional by a King County judge.

Image via Elaine Thompson/Associated Press