Wyoming Republican legislative candidates have officially reported receiving campaign checks from Teton County donor Don Grasso, a businessman who handed out the checks on the Wyoming House floor in February. The incident, known as ‘Checkgate,’ sparked a House special investigation and an ongoing criminal inquiry by the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office.

Background

The checks were delivered by Rebecca Bextel, a conservative activist, on behalf of Grasso. Bextel initially declined to confirm what she had given to lawmakers, but later wrote on Facebook that she had delivered ‘lawful campaign checks from Teton County donors’ to save paper and reduce her carbon footprint.

Nine of the 10 named candidates, including House Speaker Chip Neiman and Reps. John Bear and Marlene Brady, reported receiving $1,500 checks from Grasso in their campaign finance reports. The reports were filed this week, meeting the deadline under Wyoming’s campaign finance laws.

Investigation and Aftermath

The ‘Checkgate’ controversy led to a House special investigation, which held a hearing in February. Several lawmakers, including Brady and Rep. Darin McCann, testified that they had accepted checks from Bextel but denied any wrongdoing. The incident also prompted legislative rule changes and an executive order from the governor.

Grasso has continued to donate to Republican candidates, including $1,500 each to Rep. Kevin Campbell and GOP hopefuls Roy Birt and James Corkery in July. A political action committee, Fight Wyoming Fight, reported receiving $50,000 from a ‘Gonald Grasso’ of Wisconsin, although it is unclear if this is the same person.

Original reporting: Oil City News (Casper WY) — read the source article.