ND Ethics Commission OKs lawmakers’ expenses-paid trip to Israel as ‘educational’

BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — At least one North Dakota lawmaker has been invited to an all-expenses-paid trip to meet with Israel leaders in September — and the state Ethics Commission says he can accept.

The five-day trip would be paid for by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which pitches the tour as an opportunity for U.S. lawmakers to learn about the nation’s culture, heritage and government.

In a new advisory opinion, the Ethics Commission determined that the trip is fair game because the organizers say it’s purely educational and that no lobbying will take place.

Commissioner Murray Sagsveen said during a Wednesday Ethics Commission meeting that though he thinks the purpose of the trip is to give U.S. lawmakers a positive image of Israel, it doesn’t appear to violate any North Dakota ethics rules or laws.

“I understand they’re trying to influence political leaders in North Dakota and the United States, but if there’s no attempt to influence public official actions or decisions in North Dakota, it does not qualify as lobbying,” he said.

A tentative itinerary of the tour reviewed by the Ethics Commission indicates that attendees will visit cultural sites and meet with political and government officials — including the country’s prime minister, president and the U.S. ambassador to Israel.

The invite says that a bipartisan group of more than 200 lawmakers from all 50 states are expected to attend.

The event comes as Israel is at war with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, a conflict that has led to mass violence and starvation in Gaza. Human rights groups including Amnesty International have accused Israel of committing a genocide against Palestinians, which the government of Israel denies, and President Donald Trump recently said the U.S. would help provide aid amid growing global pressure to alleviate the starvation.

The advisory opinion was requested by House Minority Leader Zac Ista, D-Grand Forks. He received an invitation, and said he hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll go.

“It’s important to realize that the nation of Israel has its own biases and perspectives that it’s going to present during that trip,” Ista said. But he added that he values the opportunity to learn about another country’s government and culture firsthand.

Ista said he believes a small group of other North Dakota lawmakers may have also been asked to attend, but that he’s not certain if anyone has accepted the invitation.

Ista acknowledged that out-of-state trips have enabled lawmakers to act corruptly in the past.

Former longtime Sen. Ray Holmberg earlier this year was sentenced to prison for traveling abroad with the intent to pay for sex with minors. At least some of Holmberg’s trips had been subsidized with state money as part of his participation in Global Bridges, a Europe-based program that invites officials on educational tours.

The commission has proposed a new rule that would require officials under its jurisdiction to disclose details about any trips they take for official business that is paid for by third parties. The public comment period for the draft rule ended Monday.

The commission on Wednesday also discussed an advisory opinion requested by Rep. Pat Heinert, R-Bismarck, regarding an invitation he received for free admission to an automobile conference in Las Vegas.

Similar to the advisory opinion requested by Ista, the commission determined that the conference itself is for educational purposes and so attending it would not violate any ethics rules or laws. The commission agreed that Heinert should exercise caution about some events on the conference’s schedule, including banquets and one-on-one meetings with industry leaders, where lobbying could occur.

The commission has yet to formally approve the advisory opinion requested by Heinert.

(Story written by Mary Steurer – North Dakota Monitor)