Austin lawyer-lobbyist Gaylord Armstrong resigned his position at McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore on July 1. In a July 15 filing with the Texas Ethics Commission, the Texas Consumer Finance Association Political Action Committee reported five expenditures listing Armstrong as payee and labeled as “unauthorized withdrawal[s],” totaling $125,500. The filing also notes McGinnis credited the same amount to the PAC’s account for “replacement of funds.”
Roy Q. Minton, Armstrong’s lawyer, says Armstrong always planned to pay back the money. Armstrong had authority to use the client’s bank account, Minton says, but the question is whether Armstrong had authority to borrow money for personal use while intending to reimburse the account.
