“Stink.”

That’s one word being used to describe the behavior of several top state officials, whose actions were exposed in an exclusive investigation by News Channel Nebraska and are now the subject of official complaints filed with the state’s ethics office. 

                       [View our initial investigation above]

The Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission is being asked to examine accusations that five state lawmakers climbed to the top of one of the world’s iconic mountains where they then “allowed their likeness and title as Senators to be used to bolster the image and credibility of a company with a highly dubious reputation.”  

The five senators, three Republicans Tom Brewer, Ben Hanson, and Dave Murman along with Democrats Justin Wayne and Anna Wishart took a well-publicized trip to the peak of Africa’s Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2021 insisting they were on a political bridge building excursion.

Once at the top the five held a banner touting Standard Process, a Wisconsin nutritional supplement company, which then displayed the photo on its Facebook page congratulating the lawmakers and noting that Hansen, who is also a chiropractor and a Standard Process customer, "provided supplement recommendations for the group."

In state financial records examined by NCN, all five initially stated they received a trip-related gift of at least $1,000 from Standard Process.

Each gift described as a “pledge.”

Contacted by News Channel Nebraska, Standard Process initially told NCN it "provided each climber $1,300 for their flights" and "provided supplements."

Six hours later the company updated its story that it just "learned that the checks for the $1,300 were never actually sent to the climbers, due to an error by our accounting team."

So, according to the company and the lawmakers, in the end the company did not pay any portion of the trip up Kilimanjaro.

Kate High—who describes herself as an independent Money in Politics researcher— cites News Channel Nebraska’s original reporting in her state ethics complaints and tells NCN, “Even if the Senators did not receive the agreed-upon $1,300 payments, they fully anticipated they would when they posed for the photograph with the Standard Process banner atop Mt. Kilimanjaro.”

Just days following our investigation, at least three of the five lawmakers wrote letters to the state ethics office, updating—amending—their earlier financial reports.

Hansen and Wishart, using the exact same wording, noted that they “did not end up accepting this pledged gift from Standard Process.”

High says in the end all five senators amended their reports with words supplied by NADC Executive Director Frank Daley who told the lawmakers, “If they had not received the ‘pledge payment,’ they should submit a letter explaining that ‘Standard Process ultimately did not reimburse you for your expenses and therefore no gift occurred.’”

Contacted by NCN, even Murman, who called our initial report “misleading” all but admitted he expected to be paid by Standard Process.  According to Murman, “Although I never received any funding from Standard Process their (sic) had at one time been a pledge to sponsor our flights." Murman adding, he reported the pledge “to be totally transparent.”

High says, “The senators’ likenesses and titles were under the senators’ control—that is part of the power of their position. They used them for an anticipated financial gain on a basis not available to the public.” 

NCN has asked all five to comment on High’s complaint.

Brewer, Hanson, and Murman have not responded. Wayne only saying, “I have not read or seen any complaint.” Wishart said she had, "been made aware of the complaint.”

At least one Capitol insider, who did want to be identified, tells NCN that Kate High often issues “spurious” and “unfounded” attacks on those who don’t agree with her “left side” of the aisle politics.

But High’s Kilimanjaro complaint crosses party lines. While targeting three conservative members of the GOP, she also sets her sights on Wishart, who is best known for her unsuccessful attempts to legalize medical marijuana, and Wayne who has recently complained that Omaha police wrongly target Black and Hispanic youth. Those Wayne and Wishart causes arguably far more progressive than conservative.     

At the time of our initial reporting, Jack Gould with Common Cause Nebraska, a government watchdog, told NCN, “If Senators or any elected officials are allowed to go out and pose and support, endorse corporations, then we're in a situation where who's paying how much is going out there. Is this the right thing, for a publicly elected official to be accepting gifts from private corporations?"

There is no indication from NADC how long any possible investigation will take. We're told  the agency is prohibited from discussing such details.

In the meantime, High says, “The ethics of Nebraska State Senators promoting Standard Process stink, and there is good reason to believe they may have crossed the line in Nebraska law.”