Update: PDC officials closed this case with a written warning on Dec. 31. Read letter here.
A somewhat notorious Thurston County activist appears to have filed a new Public Disclosure Commission complaint against Matthew Sutherland, Democratic candidate for the state’s 9th Legislative District, alleging misuse of campaign funds and failure to meet reporting deadlines.
Complainant Glen Morgan accuses Sutherland of improperly using campaign money to purchase subscriptions to the Lewiston Tribune and Seattle Times as well as failing to document in detail costs for campaign shirts, signs and literature. He also alleges the campaign has not adequately accounted for gas reimbursements and missed the PDC’s September deadline.
The complaint also attempts to use a purchase of “event supplies” from Safeway to link Sutherland to instances of underage drinking, referencing a Walla Walla police investigation of a 2017 party where officers reportedly interviewed Sutherland as a witness. Independent details of that alleged incident were not provided.
The Seattle Times describes Morgan as a property-rights activist who previously worked for the conservative Freedom Foundation. On his website, WeTheGoverned.com, Morgan reports having filed close to 400 PDC complaints throughout the past two years.
Morgan also comes up in this Spokesman Review piece on weaponizing ethics complaints.
Sutherland’s campaign manager did not immediately return a request for comment.
The complaint was filed Monday. The Public Disclosure Commission lists the status of the investigation as “Assessment of Facts”.
You can read Morgan’s six-page complaint here.