NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Former state Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester is filing ethics and campaign finance complaints against Republican Gov. Bill Haslam for failing to disclose how much he has paid his former chief campaign strategist for political advice.
Forrester told reporters in Nashville on Thursday that Haslam should be required to disclose how much he paid prominent GOP operative and lobbyist Tom Ingram following the 2010 governor's race.
The governor paid Ingram out of personal funds for advice on organizational and political advice following the election, but only this summer decided to place Ingram back on his re-election campaign payroll.
Forrester alleges that Ingram's past advice to the governor should count as a campaign expenditure that must be disclosed to the Tennessee Registry of Campaign Finance.