OLYMPIA — The state Public Disclosure Commission has ruled that state Sen. Don Benton is not required to disclose most of the top clients of his sales consulting business.
The commission made its decision Thursday after a hearing. The Columbian reported that Benton still must report clients paying him $10,000 or more each year, but only if those clients operate in Washington state, or if they are listed as a client anywhere in the public domain.
State officials are required to disclose financial information on a yearly report, but Benton has omitted his top clients from those reports since 1999. Benton told the board that he had believed he was already exempt.
Benton’s company, National Consulting Services, provides marketing, sales and political advice for media companies and politicians.
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