Phil Ruffin, Donald Trump’s aging friend and now owner of Circus Circus has looked to expand his gambling empire. One problem he has run into is that many midwestern states aren’t as eager to expand their gambling options.
This was definitely true for the Kansas legislature, where Susan Wagle, Kansas Senate President, had long been a no vote on pro-gambling measures. Until, suddenly she wasn’t. Thanks to some great reporting and research by the Kansas City Star’s Bryan Lowry and Jonathan Shorman, the timeline certainly looks messy now.
Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle, seeking a White House appointment to a diplomatic post in 2018, listed billionaire Phil Ruffin, a close friend of President Donald Trump, as a reference days after she voted for a bill beneficial to Ruffin’s business interests in Kansas.
Wagle, a Wichita Republican now running for U.S. Senate, expressed interest in serving as an ambassador to Ireland, Belize and Belgium, among other positions. She outlined her aspirations in a May 7, 2018 email to a political operative soon after the legislative session ended that year.
In and of itself, getting a major Republican to back you for a position isn’t that abnormal. You could say maybe it was just strange timing with the bill promotion. But the Star continues:
The request came 10 days after Wagle cast a vote to ease the way for racetrack casinos in Kansas, a longtime goal of Ruffin, a Las Vegas-based casino mogul who owns both the Wichita Greyhound Park and the Woodlands racing track in Kansas City, Kansas.
The bill failed. But Wagle’s vote went against years of opposition from the state senator to expanding legal gaming in Kansas.
That’s right. Susan Wagle had been a long time opponent to changes in gambling rules in Kansas. Suddenly, she switches sides and then asks a gaming billionaire for a recommendation.
Now, Susan Wagle is on her way out of office, committed to a race for US Senate where it is likely she finishes a distant third. Before she gets herself out of the state house door, it appears some questionable ethics can follow right behind.
Cost of a vote? Apparently a pen and a pad, the cost of a stamp or more likely email among old friends.
The Trump administration: where things can be bought.