Update: State Officials Testify on Hubbard’s Role in 2013 Budget
Testimony is continuing in the ethics trial of the Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard.
A state legislator and others are expected to testify Thursday about Hubbard’s role in 2013 budget language that could have benefited a pharmacy cooperative that was paying Hubbard.
Hubbard’s former chief of staff testified Wednesday that Hubbard didn’t tell him about two consulting contracts and that he was uncomfortable when lines blurred between Hubbard’s private and political work.
Prosecutors have accused Hubbard of using his political positions to make money and solicit favors such as investments from lobbyists. Defense lawyers argue that the transactions were aboveboard and Hubbard made sure not to run afoul of state ethics law.
A Florida political consultant says he believed the Alabama Republican Party wanted him to subcontract 2010 campaign printing work back to a firm owned by the then-party chairman.
Randy Kammerdiner, co-owner of Majority Strategies, produced direct mail for the Republicans’ 2010 campaigns. Asked by a prosecutor if he felt he had any other choice but to use Hubbard’s firm Craftmaster for the printing work, Kammerdiner replied no.
However, under cross-examination by defense lawyer Lance Bell, Kammerdiner said he never had a conversation with Hubbard, “telling me I had to use Craftmaster.”
House Representative, Steve Clouse, was next to take the stand. He has been the chair of the general fund committee since 2013.
Clouse spoke about how language made it into the general fund budget during committee that would have helped a pharmaceutical group, which was tied to Greg Wren, who already pleaded guilty to ethics violations, and Hubbard.
More talk resumed pertaining to the language put into the general fund budget, that would have essentially sent Medicaid recipients to one pharmacy group. Hubbard did consulting work for that one pharmacy group. This same issue led to Rep. Greg Wren pleading guilty to a misdemeanor ethics charge.
The most compelling testimony of the day came from former State Health Officer, Don Williamson.
Williamson stated that the language in the general fund was all Wren’s doing and that Hubbard stated that he would work to get the language out of the budget. Despite the language still being in the budget, Hubbard still voted in favor of it.
An emotional Williamson then talked about his relationship with Wren. He stated that he and Wren were extremely close but not after all of this.
Medicaid Commissioner, Stephanie Azar, was the last witness to take the stand for the day. Her testimony was specifically about the APCI language in the general fund budget.
A host of witnesses from the Dothan area are expected to take the stand Friday. Mayors, Chamber of Commerce, etc. are those expected to testify Friday. They will be talking about Hubbard’s link to the Southeast Alabama Gas District and lobbying to get Commercial Jet to the Wiregrass
Hubbard would be removed from office automatically if convicted of any of the 23 felony charges.
(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Sarah Cantey contributed information.)
