By Associated Press
Austin – Prosecutors have expanded a criminal inquiry into Texas lawmakers' double-dipping on expenses.
A criminal investigation is currently being conducted into state Rep. Joe Driver, but not Rep. Dan Flynn, the only other lawmaker identified by the Associated Press to have possibly double-dipped.
Records show Flynn, who represents the citizens of Hunt, Rains and Van Zandt counties, cut a check to his campaign for nearly $16,000 after conducting an audit into his own spending practices. He had promised to review his expenditures after the AP presented him last month with the findings of an investigation that showed he submitted travel expenses to the state even though they had been paid for by his campaign.
Driver, a Garland Republican, is under criminal investigation after acknowledging that for years he collected reimbursements from taxpayers for travel he already had paid for using donated campaign money. Driver said he didn't know he was doing anything wrong, but he reimbursed his campaign nearly $50,000 after the AP revealed the double-dipping.