Bramble says he requested staff memo

Senate Majority Leader Curt Bramble, R-Provo, volunteered Wednesday to appear before the House Ethics Committee to dispute another charge against Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper.

Bramble had already testified Tuesday before the committee but said he felt compelled to come back to explain it was he, not Hughes, who requested a controversial memo from legislative staff.

Hughes is accused by Rep. Phil Riesen, D-Salt Lake, and two other Democratic lawmakers of abusing his office and misusing legislative staff by requesting financial information about private school vouchers.

The ethics complaint filed by the Democrats alleges Hughes "used his official position to force a state agency to become a partisan agent in a political campaign," calling that a possible criminal violation.

Hughes, who faces six separate charges, including that he offered a former legislator $50,000 in campaign contributions to switch her vote on vouchers, has filed his own ethics complaint against Riesen for leaking information about the allegations to the media.

The committee is hearing both complaints behind closed doors, starting with the six filed against Hughes. Today marks the fifth day of the secret hearings.

Bramble said he requested what he described as the "Bramble memo" from the floor of the Senate during debate on the voucher issue. The memo, released months later, was addressed only to Bramble.

"I'm concerned about the credibility and the integrity of the complaint," Bramble told reporters after spending less than a half-hour in front of the committee.

He said it would have been easy for the attorneys who prepared the complaint against Hughes to check who ordered the memo. And, Bramble said, legislators have the authority to request such information for any purpose.

"These are serious allegations. Before you make the charge, you do your homework," Bramble said.

Members of the committee apparently reviewed a tape of the floor session where Bramble made his request.

A copy of written testimony submitted to the committee by past state board of education chairman Kim Burningham, however, stated "Hughes and other members of the legislative leadership used their official positions to subvert the state referendum process."

Burningham also referenced a video produced in support of vouchers during the 2007 referendum effort that resulted in the repeal of the legislation by voters. That video, used by Hughes' pro-voucher political issues committee at town hall meetings, shows the memorandum.