Gov. Spencer Cox's campaign has a habit of receiving well-timed donations
On Friday, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Cox's campaign accepted a $10,000 donation from a U.S. subsidiary of an Australian company seeking state approval of a controversial lithium extraction program on the Green River.
State Engineer Teresa Wilhemsen approved the application in May. A month later, she agreed to reconsider that decision following protests from several groups, including the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Then on July 31, a separate subsidiary of Anson Resources — A1 Lithium Inc. — donated $10,000 to Cox.
And earlier this month Wilhelmsen reaffirmed her consent for the Green River lithium drilling project.
The company said the donation to Cox's campaign was for his annual Governor's Gala, which featured The Killers as entertainment. Cox was caught on video crowd surfing during their performance.
What an awesome night! Here is a video of @GovCox crowd surfing to @BrandonFlowers singing Mr. Brightside. #utpol pic.twitter.com/F3zeEbyZXy
— Joseph Nixon (@JoeyJMNixon) September 24, 2024
Cox's campaign denied any connection between the donation and the approval, saying the timing was merely coincidental.
That's not the only suspiciously-timed donation made to Cox's campaign.
Last year, US Magnesium reached a $413,000 settlement with the Utah Department of Environmental Quality over years of unpaid fines and penalties from regulatory violations. Critics said the settlement was far too lenient, given the seriousness of the infractions and the company's history of skirting regulations. A 2023 federal study found US Magnesium was responsible for up to 25% of smog along the Wasatch Front.
Four days before the Utah Air Quality Board approved the settlement, the Renco Group, US Magnesium's parent company, donated $50,000 to Cox's campaign. The company also donated thousands of dollars to several Republican lawmakers.
Again, Cox's campaign denied that there was any connection.
Cox has used his campaign account to make some curious expenditures, too.
In late 2021, Cox's campaign was rocked when he announced via social media that his former campaign manager had resigned abruptly after an investigation substantiated allegations of sexual misconduct.
We were devastated to learn of this abuse of trust and condemn this kind of behavior in the strongest terms. pic.twitter.com/VhO0EDL88R
— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) October 7, 2021
The results of that investigation were never made public, and Cox was able to shield himself from any public scrutiny. Since it was a campaign issue, his staffers could not comment and referred queries to his campaign. Conveniently for Cox, his former campaign worker was his only campaign employee, so there was nobody to ask.
A few months after the resignation, Cox's campaign financial disclosures showed a $121,288 payment to the Ballard Spahr law firm for "legal fees." That payment was related to the investigation into his former campaign staffer. It seems odd that the investigation would cost such a large amount, but Cox again skirted questions on the topic because his campaign operation had no staffers who could speak to the issue.
Utah has extremely lenient campaign finance laws. Candidates can take unlimited donations from individuals, companies and corporations. There's very little required disclosure on what that campaign cash is used to pay for. Several lawmakers pay for campaign expenses using a credit card, then note the card payment on financial reports without details on what was purchased.