June 13, 2013 02:09 PM UTC

Independent Ethics Commission Rules Against Gessler

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: IEC reportedly levies the maximum fine, roughly $2800 all told–less the amount he had already repaid.

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AP via 7NEWS, too bad for the "Honey Badger."

Colorado Republican Secretary of State Scott Gessler has been admonished by an ethics panel over spending office funds to attend a GOP conference during the party's national convention in Florida last year.

The determination Thursday is a black eye to a potential gubernatorial run by Gessler. The Colorado Independent Ethics Commission issued the ruling.

Adds the Denver Post's Joey Bunch:

Gessler paid back all but the price of the return ticket last month to avoid the any appearance of wrong doing, his attorney, David Lane, said during the hearing last week. The week before, news broke that he was considering a run for governor next year.

The flap over about $1,800 cost Colorado taxpayers at least $143,000 for the investigation and legal fees by the ethics commission and Gessler's office.

As of this writing, the hearing is still ongoing. The Independent Ethics Commission has ruled unanimously that Secretary of State Scott Gessler's state-funded trip to the Republican National Lawyers Association annual meeting, held just prior to the Republican National Convention in south Florida, was improper–but the commission is still deliberating what penalty will be assessed.

Beyond the obvious court-of-public-opinion penalty, of course. This is not the way to begin a run for Governor.