Activist Accused of Reaping Big Money, and a Rolex, from Veterans Charity

The Oregon Department of Justice has filed an unusual state bar complaint against prominent Republican activist Kevin Mannix, charging that the lawyer violated ethics rules when he represented a veterans charity that funneled $1.1 million to his political and business activities.

The bar complaint says that Mannix, the 2002 GOP nominee for governor and a longtime initiative activist, obtained $505,000 from the charity for a "think tank" business he owned as well as the gift of a $13,800 Rolex watch. The bar complaint stems from the department's investigation and subsequent legal action against the Oregon War Veterans Association, which the department said actually provided little money for veterans while enriching the group's founder, Gregory Warnock.