Diego Morales is rubbing our faces in his corruption. Impeach him now.
The Republicans who clothed themselves in green shirts in 2022 and propped up Morales to lead an office that had previously fired him as a low-level employee knew they were nominating an unqualified hack to an important job. They did it anyway because of some silly beef with Gov. Eric Holcomb and former Secretary of State Holli Sullivan.
Former Indiana Republican Party Chairman Kyle Hupfer knew Morales faced credible sexual assault allegations from Republican women — and Hupfer stood by Morales anyway.
Briggs: Micah Beckwith and his Indiana DOGE bros are livin' large
Republican mega donor Bob Grand knew Morales was running on a fake resume and a pile of lies. Nonetheless, Grand facilitated the capital for Morales' shameful statewide election win.
Morales knew he got over on everyone — everyone! — when he won in 2022, stepped up to the microphone and said with a smug smile, "The truth always prevails. Let me say that again: The truth always prevails."
Morales' truth did prevail. Morales is committing unfettered acts of corruption and he feels invincible. Why wouldn't he? Everyone who had a chance to stop him declined to do so.
Every powerful Republican in Indiana — Gov. Mike Braun, Attorney General Todd Rokita, Sens. Jim Banks and Todd Young and on and on — smile in photos with Morales. He is doing whatever he wants, rubbing Republicans' faces in it and they're taking it because he's on their team and winning is more important than accountability.
The Indiana General Assembly should initiate impeachment proceedings immediately and remove this disgrace from office.
The last straw should be IndyStar's report Friday that Morales not only acquired a $90,000 SUV for himself on the taxpayer dime, but also purchased it from the Kelley Automotive Group, whose president, Thomas Kelley, has donated $65,000 to Morales' political campaign since October 2022.
Maybe it's just a coincidence! Maybe a Fort Wayne dealership is the only place that had the GMC Yukon Denali in the precise color Morales wanted. But it sure looks like quid pro quo, especially when you consider Kelley also is on Morales' Motor Vehicle Advisory Board, which influences auto dealer regulation, as IndyStar's Hayleigh Colombo reported.
Add another revelation to Morales' pile of profligacy, along with his recent mystery-funded 10-day "economic development" mission to India, his six-figure brother-in-law on staff and his affinity for spending lots of state money on trinkets with his name on them.
Republican lawmakers have finally started criticizing Morales' spending habits, which, good for them. But does Morales seem like an elected official who's going to be chastened?
Morales isn't up for reelection until next year. He's got free rein to keep treating taxpayers and donors as his personal entitlements. The only check on Morales' mounting abuses is for the Republican supermajorities in the House and Senate to impeach Morales and remove him from office.
Anything short of impeachment is yet another signal from the Indiana Republican Party that it tolerates corruption so long as their guy is doing it. Republicans lose credibility every day that Morales operates the secretary of state's office like his personal fiefdom, enriching himself and his family while running covert foreign missions with no oversight or explanation.
But the problem is not just Republicans. After a long, heated battle for Indiana Democratic Party chair resulted in Karen Tallian's victory last month, the minority party has done next to nothing to push Republicans toward accountability.
Give state Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis, tremendous credit for a tough and fair line of questioning into Morales' choices during a committee hearing in January. But that's not enough.
Democrats should be holding press conferences next to Morales' Yukon demanding investigations and impeachment proceedings into a statewide elected official who is obviously bilking taxpayers. If Democrats can't gain traction during a time when Indiana Republicans' hypocrisy and misconduct are on full display and President Trump is tanking the economy on purpose through tariffs, then they might be hopeless for another generation.
Republicans aren't doing anything about Morales because they don't have any pressure to act. The party isn't going to just fold into itself, no matter how much it abdicates moral leadership.
Indiana needs a credible, energetic opposition party to demand that elected officials serve the public rather than themselves. If Tallian isn't up to that job, then she should acknowledge it now and get out of the way for someone else who can do it.
Morales' grifting isn't happening in a vacuum. He's cheating the state with a smile on his face because the entire system is letting him.
Republicans can do something about it right now if they want to. And, if they don't, Democrats should hold up Morales' Yukon as a symbol of Republican failure every day from now until Nov. 3, 2026.
Contact James Briggs at 317-444-4732 or james.briggs@indystar.com. Follow him on X and Bluesky at @JamesEBriggs.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Diego Morales' $90K car is the last straw. Impeach him. | Opinion
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