By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — Lt. Gov. Bill Halter did not violate state ethics laws when his office issued a newsletter containing a dozen pictures of Halter, but the publication “came very close to being campaign literature,” the state Ethics Commission said today.

In a 4-1 vote, the commission dismissed a complaint against Halter filed by James B. Rule, who had alleged that Halter illegally used public funds to publish a newsletter that amounted to a campaign publication.

Halter’s office spent $9,000 to produce and distribute 18,000 copies of the newsletter earlier this year.

“Although public funds were used to pay for the costs of
the newsletter in question and it came very close to being campaign literature, the commission determined that there was insufficient evidence to support a finding of probable cause that the newsletter constituted campaign literature because it did not make reference to an election or contain a call to action for votes or contributions,” the commission’s executive director, Graham Sloan, wrote in a letter to Halter.

Halter said today through a spokesman, “The ethics commission dismissed this complaint and found no violation and no campaigning.”

Spokesman Garry Hoffmann said the lieutenant governor would have no further comment on the matter.