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MD Democrats Blast Hogan’s Trump-Like Business Practices

Feb 27, 2018

Annapolis, MD – Today, the Maryland Democratic Party is calling on Larry Hogan to divest from his real estate empire after a Maryland Matters investigation found that The Hogan Group, which is managed by Hogan’s little brother, Timothy Hogan, stands to profit from several state government projects promoted by the Hogan Administration.

The investigation found that The Hogan Company is planning a multi-million dollar development less than one mile from the Hogan administration’s $55.7 million MD-5 Interchange Project.  The interchange project includes a new 247-space ridesharing lot.

“Expecting Marylanders to believe that Larry Hogan is kept in the dark about multi-million dollar deals made on his behalf by his brother is almost as laughable as Donald Trump asking our country to believe that he is kept in the dark about multi-million dollar deals made on his behalf by his sons,” said Maryland Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Matthews.  “Governor Hogan should resolve these troubling conflicts of interest by divesting from his real estate company.  Maryland taxpayers deserve to know that Governor Hogan is working for them, not to pad his own pockets.”

Instead of placing his holdings into a true blind trust, the investigation found that Hogan, like Trump, has entered into an “agreement” under which he is regularly updated on his company’s profitability and holdings.  The nature of Hogan’s agreement drew criticism from government ethics expert Kathleen Clark, who said Hogan’s arrangement “does not address in any way the potential conflicts of interest.”