The state’s bipartisan ethics commission voted unanimously Wednesday not to investigate claims that Senate President Troy Jackson violated campaign finance laws in connection with his purchase of a house in Augusta.

Maine Senate President Troy Jackson Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

The executive director of the Maine Ethics Commission advised the panel in a 110-page memo that he did not see sufficient grounds to investigate the complaint, which was filed by a Republican lawmaker against the Democratic leader.

Members of the panel agreed, quickly deciding there was no evidence Jackson violated any laws or rules within the jurisdiction of the ethics commission

The request for an investigation was made last month by Rep. John Andrews, R-Paris, who cited allegations made by the Maine Wire, a conservative website affiliated with the Maine Policy Institute, a right-leaning think tank. The Wire posted an article in late August about Jackson’s purchase of a single-family home in Augusta in 2019 while representing a district in Aroostook County, questioning whether he violated the Legislature’s residency rules or falsely pledged to make the home his primary residence.

Jackson has maintained that he did nothing wrong and that he purchased the house in Augusta as a temporary place to stay while he served in the Legislature. His residence in Allagash is more than 300 miles from the capitol.