Brian Sims, doxing state rep, was subject of ethics investigation

Harrisburg, Pa., May 7, 2019 / 09:15 am (CNA).- The lawmaker who confronted a woman praying outside Planned Parenthood May 2 was the subject of an investigation by Pennsylvania’s State Ethics Commission, after questions were raised in 2017 regarding speaking fees he received while in office.

The state’s ethics commission opened an investigation into state Rep. Brian Sims following a 2017 complaint that he had violated Pennsylvania’s Ethics Act. Sims is accused of accepting honoraria, including fees and free travel and accommodation, in violation of policies governing state legislators.

Sims has confirmed that he is under investigation, but says the complaint is a political “hit” and the “cost of politics in a city like Philadelphia.”

The lawmaker, who has filmed himself offering money to social media users to identify and “dox” women and teenagers, said in June 2017 that: “This was done to hit me where I’m strongest – and I think I’m strongest in my ethics.”

Media outlets in Pennsylvania first reported the investigation May 2017, following the leak of a letter from the ethics commission, in which executive director Robert Caruso said that a “full investigation” had been launched following a complaint against Sims.

The ethics commission has not reported whether the investigation has concluded.

Sims allegedly failed to report thousands of dollars worth of travel expenses, which he later reimbursed out of his official campaign funds, following a series of high-profile speaking engagements and trips overseas, made in connection with charitable fundraising.

A 2016 investigation by City&State Pennsylvania found that despite a rule prohibiting legislators from accepting honoraria, including speaking fees, Sims earned more than $40,000 from such activity following his election in 2012.

Sims has repeatedly insisted that the events were given in connection with his national role as an LGBT activist, and were not connected to his legislative work.

According to the City&State report, Sims was billed as a state representative in advance of a 2015 engagement to speak about LGBT issues to employees at Microsoft corporate headquarters in Seattle, suggesting a conflict with Pennsylvania ethics law.

Sims also failed to declare travel and accommodation he received from Microsoft in connection with the event. Though he initially suggested that the event had been arranged spontaneously while he was on a trip to California visiting friends, Sims made the trip in the company of a professional political consultant retained by Sims in 2013. City&State also found the event had been promoted by Sims months before it took place.

According to media reports, the ethics investigation into Sims’ conduct includes a 2015 engagement at Penn State University at which he was again billed as “Rep. Brian Sims” and promoted as speaking “about his career as a legislator and on current legislation before the House.”

The state representative has also come under scrutiny for an apparent pattern of behavior concerning the reimbursement of travel expenses using campaign funds.

In 2015, Sims joined six other Pennsylvania lawmakers on a trip to Israel organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition. While all six of the other legislators declared $2,500 in reimbursements for travel and expenses from the JFGP to the state ethics board. Sims did not record any amount, and later saying that he “did not realize that Federation had subsidized my travel to the extent that they had” and had reimbursed the cost using campaign funds eight months later.

The City&State report identified several other instances where Sims appeared to fail to declare receipt of free travel, only to reimburse the expenses from campaign funds months later.

Speaking to City&State, Meredith McGehee, policy director at the Campaign Legal Center, said of Sims’ behavior “there’s a pattern here that raises questions,” and that “the questions merit an investigation by the ethics committee.”

“These delayed payments or reimbursements certainly raise questions about the origin of the money that paid for these trips in the first place,” said McGehee. “You can’t simply make things right by paying for it all with campaign funds later.”

Sims has defended his record as a “committed progressive” and said that his commitment to transparency is demonstrated by his record as “an avid social media user.”


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4 Comments

  1. Just made a donation to the Pa Pro-Life Federation in honor of Rep. Brian Sims and them send him an acknowledgement.

  2. Just made a donation to the Pa Pro-Life Federation in honor of Rep. Brian Sims and had them send him an acknowledgement.

    • In May 2019, Sims posted an eight minute video of himself confronting a woman who was protesting outside a Planned Parenthood facility in Philadelphia by praying with a rosary. On May 15, 2019 he was served a summons for federal case 5:19-cv-00834 at his office on Chestnut Street. On July 15, 2019 at 3:00 PM the Default judgement entered on June 18, 2019 was used as collateral for trying to help Hahnemann Hospital stay open case # 19-11466 Delaware Bankruptcy Court. Google Jeffrey Cutler TAX COLLECTOR and read comments newest first!!

      • From page 4 case # 5:19-cv-00834 ECF 101 titled [RESPONSE TO GOOGLE, LLC (ECF 99) FOR WRIT OF EXECUTION AND WHISTLEBLOWER] …The actions involved also involves a conspiracy to hide an ongoing criminal enterprise and other crimes by the democratic party to hinder the president in carrying out his constitutional duties. Nancy Pelosi in her official capacity did violate via her lawyer (Mr Donald B. Verilli Jr.) and stated “[N]o one would be hurt and the greater justice would be attained” and violated (18 USC § 1001) on 03JAN2019 on page 24 of the filing that was
        made in case 4:18-cv-00167-0, a significant federal crime on her behalf just after she became speaker of the house. She has also has interfered with the treaty between the United States of America and Ukraine on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters with Annex, signed at Kiev on July 22, 1998,
        and with an Exchange of Notes signed on September 30, 1999, which provides for its provisional application. Katie Hill (a Democrat member of the house from California) was forced to resign from office ….Based on the Katie Hill resignation, Nancy Pelosi must also quit her position. …….Based on a previous incident by United States Representative https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3Rut64GDgA Mr. Adam Schiff did willfully and with forethought did intentionally violate the Hobbs Act codified as 18 U.S.C. § 1951 and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA codified as 15 U.S.C. § 78dd-1). Also this case alo involves (18 U.S. Code § 1519 – Destruction, alteration, or falsification of records), (18 U.S. Code § 1505 – Obstruction of proceedings before departments).
        The Governor has all types of enforcement on the sale of alcohol but has made it a trivial matter to Gamble with no enforcement or oversight, and it is now obvious they will be promoting the sale of lottery tickets with credit cards. On 08NOV2019 a woman told Mr. Cutler that her 15 year old daughter had lost hundreds of dollars buying lottery tickets in violation of Pennsylvania law. The governor has also announced that commonwealth will terminate the use of cash on the Pennsylvaniia Turnpike, even though the city of Philadelphia recently passed a law requiring all stores in Philadelphia to accept cash payments. The Pennsylvania Turnpike was built with the aid of Federal funds, and cash is legal tender for all debts public and private. Mr. Cutler ran against Tom Wolf twice.
        As an Official Whistle Blower in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Jeffrey Cutler declares the actions Mr. Krasner, the Mayor of Philadelphia, and the Governor were a concerted effort to legally Murder Jews like Albert Chernoff, the woman found in her home in the 800 block of Bergen Street, Jill Millman (page B3 Inquirer Thursday November 7, 2019) by persons like Fred Arena (page B1 Inquirer Thursday November 7, 2019), or Michael White or persons simmilarly situated. Mr. Cutler delares as part of this document that he is WHISTLEBLOWER exposing the Governor and Mayor as members of this organization in a public matter. Unlike the alleged WHISTLEBLOWER impeachment orchestrated by Eric Ciaramella with others Mr. Cutler has signed and dated this WHISTLEBLOWER document that, unlike the cladestine misuse of the legal system by the house https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/alleged-whistleblower-eric-ciaramella-was-biden-guest-at-state-department-banquet The hatred of coal may be related to the fact that bad people get a lump of coal in their stocking by St. Nick at Christmas, so if there is no coal, what they are doing cannot be considered evil. Both Seth Rich and Edward Snowden were WHISTLEBLOWERs, Seth is dead and Edward Snowden is in exiled to Russia.

        THE ABOVE IS CENSORED BY EVERY NEWS OUTLET IN THE UNITED STATES
        Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgCle8F_zUk for more information and read comments sorted newest first. Also see
        https://www.americanfreedomlawcenter.org/case/jeffrey-cutler-v-u-s-dept-of-health-human-services/ and https://www.brennancenter.org/legal-work/corman-v-torres https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/27231978/CUTLER_v_PELOSI_et_al

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