Huntsman in hot water for taking basketball tickets

Possible presidential candidate Gov. Jon Huntsman (R-Ut.) has landed himself in hot water for accepting basketball tickets that critics say run afoul of the governor’s own ethics rules.

Huntsman banned gifts to his administration from lobbyists, but accepted tickets worth $150 to see the University of Utah play Texas Christian University.

A spokeswoman for the governor told the Salt Lake Tribute that the tickets are legal because the university that donated them is a state-run institution. But public universities lobby the government for funding, and critics say the gift clearly violates the spirit of the law.

“I don’t see the distinction,” said Rep. John Dougall (R), chairman of the House Ethics Committee.