Campaign Finance Board fines MN attorney general candidate John Lesch $20K

The Minnesota Campaign Finance Board has fined State Representative John Lesch, a Democrat running for attorney general, $20 thousand for a number of alleged campaign violations from 2010 through 2016.  The board alleges inadequate recordkeeping and false certification of reports by Lesch’s campaigns for state legislature. The largest penalty, $15 thousand, is for what officials say were “five transfers that constituted conversion of committee funds to personal use.” Lesch acknowledges the campaign did not maintain adequate expense records and says he accepts it as his responsibility — but Lesch says “I deny using any campaign funds for personal purposes.” Republicans say Lesch has abused the public trust and is unfit to be Minnesota attorney general.