# Ben Gilmore Arkansas State Senator (R-Crossett). Co-chairman of the Arkansas Legislative Council. Documented in the wiki through the 5/18/2025 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Morning News Update article "Arkansas legislators disclose payments received for trips," captured in the Auditor's office Chief of Staff Melissa Corrigan's Deleted-Items folder (per [[auditor-foia-r2-residual]]). The article documents Gilmore's disclosure that "the Combat Hate Foundation in Mondridge, Kan., paid $10,000 of his expenses for an educational trip to Israel in June." The year of the June trip is not specified in the article excerpt available to the wiki. The Combat Hate Foundation is an external organization not otherwise documented in the wiki's Arkansas materials. Gilmore's co-chairman role on the Legislative Council places him in a senior leadership position in the Arkansas General Assembly with oversight of legislative operations. The article appeared alongside the disclosure of Senate President Pro Tempore Bart Hester's separate $6,500 Consulate General of Israel-paid trip to Israel in December 2024 (see [[bart-hester]]). The two adjacent disclosures document a pattern of Israel-funded educational travel for senior Arkansas legislators during the period of active DCI institutional sales to Arkansas pension systems. Whether Gilmore was a target of any Auditor's-office or DCI Israel Bonds outreach is not documented in this batch; the article reached the Auditor's office through the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newsletter feed to [email protected] and was deleted by Corrigan. Gilmore does not appear in the wiki's prior documentary record on the April 14-15 Capitol tour eight-meeting schedule, on any Israel Bonds correspondence, or on any Auditor's-office staff records. The Combat Hate Foundation trip is therefore documented as adjacent context for Arkansas legislative-level Israel funding flows rather than as a direct Israel Bonds investigation thread. ## Evidence > "state Sen. Ben Gilmore, R-Crossett, who is a co-chairman of the Legislative Council, disclosed last week that the Combat Hate Foundation in Mondridge, Kan., paid $10,000 of his expenses for an educational trip to Israel in June." > Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Morning News Update to [email protected], Arkansas legislators disclose payments received for trips.pdf p.1, 5/18/2025 8:03 AM ## Cross-References [[bart-hester]] co-disclosed Israel-funded trip in the same article (Consulate General of Israel paid $6,500 for December 2024 trip) [[melissa-corrigan]] Chief of Staff whose Deleted-Items folder captured the article [[auditor-foia-r2-residual]] source page