DeMaio says releasing letter publicly was necessary to force the Senate Ethics Committee to take immediate action
California State Assemblymember Carl DeMaio has sent a letter to the Senate Ethics Committee on behalf of a group of his legislative colleagues that requests an immediate investigation into criminal allegations involving State Senator Susan Rubio.
On December 5, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice made public a plea agreement detailing a criminal “bribery scheme” involving an elected official who solicited and received $30,000 in illegal cash payments for their campaign and solicited a $200,000 bribe payment to secure a permit for a marijuana dispensary. (See attached redacted plea agreement)
While the plea agreement merely referred to the elected official as “Person 20,” numerous media outlets – including the Los Angeles Times – have since publicly identified the individual as State Senator Susan Rubio based on various details outlined in the plea agreement.
“When I learned that the Senate Ethics Committee had not yet acted on this matter, I was thoroughly appalled – and I believe the public is appalled by the inaction,” says DeMaio.
“While releasing a letter in public may ruffle some feathers inside state legislature, this matter simply cannot be ignored given the severity of the criminal allegations being made against a sitting state senator,” DeMaio notes.
DeMaio and the group of legislators who joined the letter note that while they “fully defend the rights afforded Senator Rubio in potential legal proceedings, those rights are separate and distinct from the need to protect the integrity and reputation of the Legislature.”
The letter asks that the Senate Ethics Committee provide “confirmation” that it intends to look into the matter and that it “release findings to the public as soon as possible.”
>> READ: See Letter to Senate Ethics Committee
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