CONCORD — Attorney General Joseph Foster has made it official: he has recused himself from a review of a recent campaign finance complaint filed by the state Republican Party against Gov. Maggie Hassan’s campaign regarding a union PAC donation to her in 2012.
The NHGOP had asked Foster to step aside from any review or investigation because he served as a member of the Hassan campaign’s finance committee in 2012. That committee, like any campaign finance committee, is charged with raising money for the campaign.
Foster told the New Hampshire Journal on Tuesday that he would “probably” recuse himself in order to take a “conservative” approach and avoid any possible appearance of a conflict. (see story below)
Friday, Associate Attorney General Richard Head told the Journal in a brief email: “Attorney General Foster has recused himself from the undated complaint we received on August 6 regarding a June 15, 2012 donation.”
NHGOP Chairman Jennifer Horn issued this statement: “Governor Hassan’s illegal campaign money scandal has cast a dark ethical cloud over her administration and undermined public trust in state government. Attorney General Foster made the right decision given his role on Hassan’s 2012 finance committee and his close ties to some of the labor unions that broke campaign finance laws. We hope that the New Hampshire Department of Justice will expedite its ongoing investigation into Governor Hassan’s shady campaign finances and quickly provide an opinion on her suspicious failure to disclose her donors on required campaign finance report.”