Indiana Attorney General Rokita leaves health care company after facing scrutiny

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has ended his involvement with Apex Benefits weeks after media reports revealed he was still being paid by the health care brokerage firm.

Rokita made the announcement Friday in a tweet on his attorney general account. "I have concluded my limited involvement in Apex Benefits and am divesting my equity position so as to remove any potential concerns for the company and its clients," Rokita wrote. 

Before being elected to office in November Rokita worked as general counsel and vice president of external affairs at the company. A spokesperson for Rokita confirmed for IndyStar in February that he was working as a strategic policy advisor and remained a part owner of the company even after assuming office.

© Robert Scheer/IndyStar file photo Todd Rokita, seen prior to a debate of Indiana Republican candidates for Senate, at WISH TV in Indianapolis on Sunday, April 15, 2018.

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Previously: Indiana AG Rokita facing scrutiny for ties to health benefits firm

Rokita requested an informal advisory opinion from the Inspector General’s office to review potential conflicts of interest Jan. 12, a day after he began as attorney general. 

I have concluded my limited involvement in Apex Benefits and am divesting my equity position so as to remove any potential concerns for the company and its clients.

— Todd Rokita (@AGToddRokita) March 5, 2021

That opinion came back in his favor, according to a spokesperson with the attorney general's office, because it found that “his interests and outside employment are all squarely within the boundaries of the law and do not conflict with his official duties." Rokita has chosen not to disclose that advisory opinion to the public, and Indiana law does not require him to do so.

The spokesperson also said his ties to the private sector didn't end with Apex Benefits.

“Todd Rokita has built up private sector business interests that he will maintain as Indiana Attorney General, which were and will continue to be disclosed as required in publicly available financial disclosure reports and which reflect income from several sources,” read a statement from the attorney general’s office.  

Rokita must submit those financial disclosure reports to the Inspector General's office by next week. 

Call IndyStar courts reporter Johnny Magdaleno at 317-273-3188 or email him at jmagdaleno@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @IndyStarJohnny 

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Attorney General Rokita leaves health care company after facing scrutiny