Ohio's government watchdog said in a report that an agency director improperly used state computers to find personal information on "Joe the Plumber."
Inspector General Tom Charles says there was no legitimate business purpose for the head of Ohio's Department of Job and Family Services, Helen Jones-Kelley, to order staff to look up the records.
The report says investigators weren't able to determine whether the searches were politically motivated. After reviewing the findings, Governor Strickland said he was placing Jones-Kelley on a one-month unpaid suspension. He rejected a request from Senate President Bill Harris to fire Jones-Kelly for abusing her power. Auditor Mary Taylor, the lone Republican holding a statewide office, also asked Strickland to fire Jones-Kelley.