Spending campaign cash: Jerry Eversole's attorney

There should be absolutely no wonder why Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole received only 3 years probation for lying to the FBI.

According to his 2011 campaign finance reports, of the $833,000 in "campaign" expenditures, Eversole gave $750,000 of his donor's money to his attorney Rusty Hardin for "legal services". Spending nearly a million dollars kept Eversole from spending a single day in jail. In his 2012 report, Eversole has only $15,000 left of his multi million dollar war chest and no expenses for legal services.

Unfortunately the Texas Ethics Commission allows elected officials to spend their donor's money to defend themselves when they commit felonies, just like State Representative Joe Driver. Maybe this is yet another issue that the Texas Sunset Commission needs to highlight in their review of the TEC.  I can see the funds being used for the defense of ethics complaints, but not for the defense of a felony.

This state has been ruled by the republican party for over 10 years. Don't expect them to grow an ethics spine anytime soon.

As the saying goes, No Place but Texas.