Evans-Graves Among Jindal Contributors

Official campaign finance records show that Evans-Graves Engineers - the company owned by the father of the governor’s Director of Coastal Affairs - contributed at least $1,250 to Jindal’s campaign.

Recent news stories reported on a potential ethics conflict involving Garret Graves, who left a $100,000-plus salary in Washington to join Governor Jindal’s cabinet.

It was reported that the company owned by his father, John Graves, made $47 million off of contracts with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last year, and also has contracts with the state of Louisiana.

Jindal’s staff claimed the governor had no knowledge of the potential conflict until contacted by reporters. However, a press release stated that the governor’s office had “found” the conflict, and Graves claimed that the administration had released the information themselves “to avoid any appearance, even, of a conflict.” The administration also moved to address the situation through a letter to Graves from Jimmy Faircloth, the governor’s executive counsel, instructing that the company pursue no more state contracts.g