Congresswoman Entangled In Oregon's Ongoing Cannabis Scandal, Is 'Portlandia' Becoming 'House of Cards'?

The Peabody Award-winning "Portlandia" about the city and Oregon's reputation as a haven for cool, eccentric hipsters might need an update with a few advisors from "The House of Cards."

Oregon’s ongoing scandal-tainted cannabis industry, which is inextricably mixed in with local and now national politicians has coughed up a new one. US Rep. Val Hoyle (D) accepted congressional campaign donations from a handful of cannabis entrepreneurs who’d been awarded a taxpayer-funded grant to start a non-profit, which she oversaw during her tenure as the commissioner of Oregon's Bureau of Labor and Industries last year. 

La Mota Connection Again

It turns out that the non-profit, which had already received over a half-million dollars in state funding, was co-led by Rosa Cazares, CEO of the controversial cannabis dispensary chain La Mota. The state grant money supposedly meant for a cannabis training program was abruptly canceled due to La Mota's millions of dollars in tax liens and lawsuits. The Cazares/La Mota scheme also involved the now-disgraced former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan who resigned after getting busted for being a highly paid consultant (on the side) for Cazares and La Mota, one of the largest cannabis dispensary chains in Oregon. 

All This Happened As The State Cannabis 'Watchdog' Stood By

Willamette Week (WW) reported Wednesday that the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) seemed unwilling to clamp down on the powerful La Mota weed chain, which also stiffed small vendors across the state and showed “flagrant disregard” for the law. WW, which scanned thousands of documents said the OLCC allowed La Mota to "expand unfettered, accruing millions of dollars in tax liens and racking up legal battles over unpaid bills, as the OLCC meanwhile cracked down on smaller businesses." 

Regarding Rep. Hoyle's problems, she claimed she wasn’t aware of any federal or state tax complaints against La Mota or she'd never have accepted their campaign contributions. 

"All campaign contributions have been returned," her spokesperson said.

Photo: Benzinga edit with Justin Shen on Unsplash and Oleksandrum on Shutterstock