Rep Cheatham mailing ethics questioned

Post Falls Rep. Don Cheatham has sent out a campaign letter on a copy of his official Idaho House of Representatives stationery, raising questions about use of official letterhead in a political campaign; you can see the letter here . Cheatham’s letter includes a disclaimer at the bottom of the page, saying, “All costs associated with this mailing, including stationery, envelopes, or postage, have been paid by Don Cheatham.” So it doesn’t technically violate the law against using public resources for private gain, including for political gain.

Yet for years, lawmakers have been strongly discouraged from using official stationery for campaign purposes, a concern that stretched back to before it was so easy to create a facsimile of the official letterhead. “This is one of those areas where it might not technically be a violation, but I think that there’s a legitimate question of do we want to encourage this sort of conduct or behavior,” said Deputy Idaho Attorney General Brian Kane, who advises the Legislature on ethics and other legal issues/ Betsy Russell , Eye on Boise. More here.

Thoughts?