Democratic Party alleges likely GOP governor candidate broke ethics rules
SALEM -- In a pre-emptive strike ahead of the 2018 Oregon governor's race, the Democratic Party of Oregon on Wednesday filed an ethics complaint alleging that Rep. Knute Buehler skirted ethics rules by failing to disclose all his income. Buehler, a moderate Republican from Bend, is seen as a likely challenger to Gov. Kate Brown.
The complaint alleges that Buehler didn't disclose payments from medical device manufacturer Stryker Corporation, and that he had an interest in concealing his relationships with the company. The complaint also alleges Buehler didn't disclose a $1,000 payment for speaking fees from pharmaceutical giant Pfizer in 2014.
Buehler, a physician, was paid at least $104,000 by Stryker and Pfizer from 2012 to 2015, according to federal medical payment data. Physicians are sometimes paid by medical and pharmaceutical companies to promote their products or work on their development.
In the complaint, the Democratic Party alleges the payments were made to Buehler directly, not to the companies he lists on his economic interest disclosure forms.
Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/04/democratic_party_alleges_likel.html