Kansas lawmakers call out Kobach on ‘culture of corruption’ charge

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach presides over Kansas' Electoral College vote for the President of the United States in the Senate chambers of the Kansas Statehouse on Monday, Dec. 19, 2016 in Topeka, Kan.

? Kansas legislative leaders said Friday that they want Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to back up his claim that there is a “culture of corruption” at the Statehouse in Topeka.

Kobach has made that assertion as part of his campaign for governor, arguing that there should be term limits for state legislators.

Most recently, he made the argument for term limits on national television when he was interviewed Tuesday on the “Fox News Specialists” program.

He later posted a video of that interview on Twitter with the comment, “I’m running for governor to end the culture of corruption in Topeka.”

“The Secretary of State has insinuated a culture of corruption, accusing the Legislature of being corrupt, which I think insults the integrity of this body and the legislative body,” House Speaker Pro Tem Scott Schwab, R-Olathe, said. “I get nervous when someone with prosecutorial authority accuses somebody of violating the law without a specific charge.”

Schwab spoke out Friday during a meeting of the Legislative Coordinating Council, or LCC, a seven-member group made up of the top leaders from both parties in the House and Senate that represent the Legislature when the Legislature is not in session.

The LCC met Friday to authorize meeting days for joint committees during the interim and to take care of other internal legislative business.

Near the end of that meeting, Schwab made a motion that the LCC send a formal letter to Kobach, “asking him the specific charges he’s insinuating when he calls us corrupt.”

“Because if there’s a serious charge, I think we need to ask the Attorney General to look into it,” Schwab said. “But I get very concerned when a prosecutor starts making these accusations against a legislative body and not being held accountable. Is there an actual charge?”

Under a law enacted at Kobach’s request, the Secretary of State has limited authority to prosecute certain election crimes.

An official in Kobach’s office declined to comment on Schwab’s statement but said Kobach would respond once he receives the letter from the LCC.

Currently, the LCC has at least two members who may be candidates for governor themselves: Republican Senate President Susan Wagle and House Democratic Leader Jim Ward, both from Wichita.