Gov. Bob Ferguson has become the first Washington governor in more than three decades to be found in violation of the states executive ethics law, marking a rare and troubling rebuke of a sitting chief executive.
According to Just The News, the states Executive Ethics Board enforcement website shows that Ferguson is the first governor to face formal enforcement action since the board was created in 1995, underscoring the seriousness of the case. The governor last week signed a stipulation agreement, ahead of Fridays Executive Ethics Board meeting, in which he admitted to violating two provisions of the Ethics in Public Service Act; the board formally accepted the agreement during its Friday session.
The violations involve using public resources for private benefit and exploiting the power of his office to secure special privileges for a former aide, conduct that strikes at the heart of public trust in government. The stipulations approved Friday resolve a complaint filed in July after Ferguson allowed his former Chief Strategy Officer, Mike Webb, to accompany him on a state-owned aircraft to the Tri-Cities.
Under the agreement, the first-term Democrat must pay a $4,000 fine, with $2,000 suspended on the condition that he commits no further ethics violations over the next two years. The document states, Ferguson knew there was an extra seat on the aircraft, so they offered it to Mike Webb, and further notes, Ferguson admits that they made a mistake, and it will not happen again.
Neither Webb nor Ferguson responded to requests for comment before publication, leaving voters without a direct explanation from the governor beyond the carefully negotiated stipulation. As previously reported by The Center Square, Webb resigned in March 2025 amid allegations that he had created a hostile work environment, raising additional questions about why he was granted special access to taxpayer-funded travel.
Despite those allegations, Ferguson still brought Webb aboard a Washington State Patrol plane to the Tri-Cities, where Webb had a meeting scheduled the same day the governor was in the area on official business. An ethics investigation found that the trip on the state aircraft was billed to taxpayers at a rate of $2,094.68 per flight hour, a cost that would be out of reach for most citizens who ultimately foot the bill.
In written correspondence to the board, Ferguson attempted to minimize the issue, arguing that Webbs presence did not impose additional costs on the state. The individuals presence did not displace any state employee, Ferguson wrote, urging the board to dismiss the complaint, and adding, It did not create additional cost in terms of fuel, staffing or tim?.
The Executive Ethics Board itself was created in 1994 at the request of then-Gov. Mike Lowry and Attorney General Christine Gregoire, ostensibly to ensure that those in power would be held to clear ethical standards. According to the boards enforcement results webpage, only one prior violation is listed against the Office of the Governor, and that case involved a former assistant director of Indian Affairs rather than a sitting governor.
Lowry, along with former governors Gary Locke and Jay Inslee, has faced ethics and campaign finance complaints over the years, but none of those matters resulted in formal enforcement actions by the board against a governor in office as has now occurred with Ferguson. An email from The Center Square seeking confirmation that Ferguson is indeed the first governor to face a penalty from the board was not returned before publication, a silence that does little to reassure a skeptical public.
By accepting the stipulations, Ferguson avoided a public hearing that could have exposed more details and risked fines of up to $5,000 per violation, a reminder of how negotiated settlements can shield officials from fuller scrutiny. The Washington State Democratic Party also declined to comment before publication, sidestepping an opportunity to address the conduct of one of its most powerful officeholders.
Republican leaders, by contrast, framed the case as part of a broader pattern of ethical corner-cutting by progressive politicians who preach virtue while enjoying the perks of power. Ferguson has been cutting corners on ethical behavior his whole political career," Rep. Jim Walsh, chairman of the Washington State Republican Party, wrote in a statement, adding, "This latest scandal giving his handsy political guru a 'free' ride on a taxpayer-funded private plane is just the clearest example.
Walsh went further, casting the episode as emblematic of a left-wing political culture that treats rules as optional for its own elites. Many left-leaning politicians think they're clever. Some think that signaling virtue in public buys them the ability to bend ethics rules in private. That's not how it works. Ethics are how you act when no one is looking, Walsh continued, a pointed reminder that even when the dollar amount is relatively modest, the principle at stakewhether public office is used for public service or private favorremains central to accountable government.
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