Cynicism in Donovan Scandal Premature

Christopher G. Donovan, Speaker of the Connecticut. House of Representatives, on the opening day of the 2009 legislative session. Members of Donovan's campaign to replace Fifth District Congressman Chris Murphy have come under scrutiny by federal officials for allegedly concealing the sources of donations.

Photograph courtesy of Toasterb. Some rights reserved.

The allegations against House Speaker Chris Donovan's campaign finance director, Robert Braddock, Jr., and an unknown number of co-conspirators are serious indeed. But any cynical dismissal of Donovan (or politics more generally) as corrupt is premature.

Donovan has reacted appropriately so far. He fired key players in the controversy and is cooperating with federal authorities. His first public statement was slow in coming, but hit the right notes. He hasn't been charged with any wrongdoing, and has said he didn't know that anyone might be trying to funnel illegal contributions to his campaign.

That denial is credible. Donovan's personal role in the scandal appears to be tangential. Braddock was a new face in Connecticut. And Donovan is well-known as a crusader against the very types of influence-peddling now being rooted out at the Capitol. Unless the federal investigation turns up evidence that contradicts his statements, we must take him at his word.

This doesn't mean that Donovan is off the hook. He has already accepted responsibility for signing off on campaign hires, including Braddock. Going forward, he will need to be honest and forthright with investigators and voters as the probe continues. And he will need to redouble scrutiny of his own staff to make sure he is not plagued by scandals in the future.

In the meantime, it's prudent to wait for all of the facts to come out before making any judgments.

We shouldn't be surprised that corruption exists – that's why we have campaign finance laws in the first place. If anything, the discovery of these illegal contributions is proof that vigilance and enforcement can keep corruption from overtaking the system.

A version of this commentary was also published in the Connecticut Post.