No legislative misconduct found against Dems who aired ‘CheckGate’ scandal

House leadership on Wednesday dismissed ethics complaints against Democratic Reps. Mike Yin and Karlee Provenza, concluding they did not break any legislative rules by making last month’s “CheckGate” scandal public.

Speaker Pro Tempore Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland, who chaired the ethics committee after Speaker Chip Neiman recused himself, said the two were “working within their constitutional right.” But he added a mild reminder that actions can have unintended consequences.

“It wasn’t legislative misconduct, but it doesn’t mean there wasn’t pain that came out of it,” Haroldson told the House.

Four complaints—one from Rep. Tony Locke, R-Casper, and three from private citizens—alleged Yin and Provenza violated legislative rules when they brought the check-passing incident to light.

On Feb. 9, conservative activist Rebecca Bextel was escorted onto the House floor after adjournment, where she handed campaign checks to four House members. Provenza photographed Bextel handing a check to Rep. Darin McCann, R-Rock Springs, while Rep. Marlene Brady stood nearby holding a similar document.

Two days later, Yin urged colleagues not to vote for a bill Bextel championed, citing the “optics” of checks being distributed on the floor. Provenza later sent her photo to media outlets, saying she feared the incident would be “swept under the rug.”

The donor, Don Grasso, told Cowboy State Daily he expected Bextel to mail the checks. No rules against check-passing existed at the time; the House, Senate and governor later passed such rules.

A House investigative committee unanimously found no bribery or misconduct in the check-passing itself, but noted that “were it not for the actions of Rebecca Bextel on the House floor, the subsequent disruptions…would not have occurred.”

Locke’s complaint alleged the Democrats should have filed a formal ethics complaint rather than going to the media. Yin responded that his floor statement wasn’t an attempt to open an ethics violation and was protected by the First Amendment.

Haroldson confirmed that legislative rules do not require filing an ethics complaint in such situations.

Yin questioned why the findings needed a public floor announcement. “If you’re saying there is no legislative misconduct, why do you feel the need to read it on the floor?”

Provenza said she was caught off guard by the announcement and stands by her decision. “This fallout was not my fault.”

Rep. Joe Webb, R-Lyman, one of the check recipients, told the House the controversy has hurt his family. “You haven’t seen my wife in tears,” he said, adding he’s trying to “take the high road.”

Provenza responded with compassion for hurt members but emphasized, “I think the public is upset, there’s been a lack of accountability from some members.”

The Laramie County Sheriff’s Office continues a separate criminal bribery investigation.