Tennessee governor repays trip after ethics panel finds a group shouldn’t have covered it

Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has repaid about $1,900 for a trip to a conference in Florida after ethics officials found he shouldn’t have relied on an outside group to cover the travel. The Tennessee Ethics Commission released the opinion Tuesday. It ruled the payment violated a state law banning officials from accepting gifts directly or indirectly from a lobbyist or a lobbyist’s employer. The Republican governor requested the commission’s opinion after his trip drew scrutiny. Lee traveled in July to Marco Island, Florida, to address the group Alliance Defending Freedom, which paid for his travel. A related group, ADF Action, employs a Tennessee lobbyist.