IndyStar reported this week that two taxpayer-funded luxury SUVs purchased by the offices of Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and Secretary of State Diego Morales were raising eyebrows at the Indiana statehouse.
Those purchases would have been more heavily scrutinized if a recently passed, bipartisan bill heading to Gov. Mike Braun’s desk had already been in effect.
House Bill 1518 makes it harder for most state officials to use taxpayer money to buy cars from luxury or semi-luxury brands. It also requires car purchases to be a base, standard or government model of a car unless granted an exemption by the state. It was spurred in part by Morales’ purchase.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith has a new SUV, an $87,672 Chevy Tahoe High Country, the top trim level for the brand, paid for by taxpayers. Meanwhile, newly passed legislation targets luxury car purchases. Photo taken outside the Indiana Statehouse, Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
IndyStar report draws attention, Beckwith responds
Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith drives to the Indiana statehouse in a 2025 Chevy Tahoe High Country SUV, which cost taxpayers just less than $88,000 when the state bought it in February, IndyStar’s Hayleigh Colombo reported. The High Country is the top trim level of the SUV.
Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales drives a taxpayer-funded $90,000 GMC Yukon Denali purchased last summer.
Beckwith responded to the IndyStar report to defend the purchase, saying his office has already saved the state money and that his team of large men needs the large vehicle. Read both of those stories below, along with an opinion piece on the response by Opinion Editor James Briggs.
IndyStar’s original report: New $90K taxpayer-funded SUVs for Diego Morales, Micah Beckwith raise eyebrows at the Statehouse
Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith responds: Beckwith says he’s cutting spending in his office after facing criticism over $88K SUV
Briggs: Micah Beckwith and his Indiana DOGE bros are livin’ large | Opinion
Dealership is GOP donor, gave Morales $65K in campaign donations
The choice of Kelley Automotive Group, which has donated nearly $375,000 to Indiana Republican-aligned committees and candidates since 2017, raised questions for some people who were already scrutinizing Morales’ use of tax dollars to purchase a $90,000 premium SUV last year.
A Black Yukon Denali sits in the Statehouse parking lot. The Secretary of State’s Office spent more than $90,000 on the premium SUV which is driven by Diego Morales.
Already this fiscal year, the state has spent nearly $15 million with Kelley Automotive Group, according to the Indiana Transparency Portal. The state spent nearly $10 million at Kelley Automotive Group during the previous year, and $6.4 million in the 2023 fiscal year.
Read the full report below, along with James Briggs’ column calling for the impeachment of Morales.
Dealership ties: Diego Morales’ $90K SUV came from dealership that gave him $65K in campaign donations
Briggs: Diego Morales is rubbing our faces in his corruption. Impeach him now. | Opinion
This story may be updated with additional reporting.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana politicians’ $90K taxpayer-funded SUVs raise questions