Senate Republicans just can’t seem to get the hang of ethical behavior. Every week, it seems there’s a fresh revelation of wrongdoing from the body. Not only that, it all comes from the leadership.

In particular, the Senate’s hiring of Steve Sviggum has proven to be an ethical minefield. First, there’s the issue of Sviggum’s tenure as a University of Minnesota regent, and whether that conflicts with his partisan role in the legislature. The U certainly seems to think it might, as it has retained a lawyer to advise it on the situation. Then, he just adds to the problems by doing something like this:

The chief spokesman for the Senate Republican caucus admitted today that taxpayers should not have paid for a pamphlet that was distributed at last week’s precinct caucuses.

Fifteen Republican senators handed out the brochures on caucus night. Republicans admitted their error just minutes after state DFL Party officials filed a campaign finance complaint.

Printing campaign materials on the taxpayers’ dime. Lovely. And let’s not lose sight of the fact that the blame this scandal does not just fall on Sviggum alone. The illegal pamphlets were approved by Majority Leader David Senjem himself.

Sviggum’s apology is all well and good, but not enough. This is a clear campaign finance violation, and the Republicans who violated the law need to face the consequences.