09 Jul RELEASE: Corrupt and Scandal-Laden Rep. Burgess Owens Focuses on Publicity Over People

ICYMI: CORRUPT AND SCANDAL-LADEN REP. BURGESS OWENS FOCUSES ON PUBLICITY OVER PEOPLE

SALT LAKE CITY, July 9th 2021 — Another day, another scandal for embattled Utah District 4 Representative Burgess Owens. At least, that’s how it seems. Continually distracted by scandal instead of focused on serving the Utahns he was elected to serve, Burgess Owens has already shown impropriety in just seven months in office, leaving Utah voters with the question: how much more can we take of boondoggling buffoon Burgess Owens in office? Let’s take a tour through Burgess’ first half-year of avoiding his job of representing Utahns:

• September 2020: The Utah Investigative Journalism project tagged Rep. Owens for one of his first major public money management scandal, with the revelation that his “charity,” Second Chance 4 Youth, spent $0 of it’s >$100,000 operating budget on it’s actual supposed mission of helping incarcerated youth.

• October 2020: Before even being elected, Burgess Owens couldn’t keep his fiscal ducks in a row, accepting more than $135,000 in illegal donations over the FEC-imposed limit.

• March 10: Utah Democrats called out Rep. Owens for his vote to leave money on the table against the American Rescue Plan, which secured new stimulus checks, and federal money grants that were projected to bring in $7-8 billion to Utah’s economy.

• April 19: We demanded that Rep. Owens return a $2,000 donation from an accused sex trafficker — his fellow embattled Congressional Republican colleague Matt Gaetz.

• May 20: Rep. Owens and his Utah Republican Congressional colleagues appeared in disarray as to how to confront an insurrection that happened in broad daylight, as Rep. Owens and colleague Rep. Chris Stewart voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the violent 1/6  attack on democracy.

• June 28: Rep. Owens solidified that he’d win the “worst money management” Congressional Freshman superlative, after he was fined $4,000 by the FEC for failing to report $34,000 in last-minute donations to his campaign.

The Utah Democratic Party believes Utahns deserve a representative who is honest and won’t be distracted by continuous scandal like Rep. Owens. We look forward to organizing Utahns to vote him out of office in 2022 and electing a representative who will put Utahns’ interests first.

The Utah Democratic Party is the face and voice of Democrats in the State of Utah. We believe that Utahns deserve strong, competent leadership that puts the people and democracy first.