OLYMPIA, WA – Gov. Bob Ferguson is said to be seeking to quietly resolve allegations that he violated state laws by allowing his former top adviser, Mike Webb, to travel with him on a state plane to the Tri-Cities last summer.

On Jan. 9, the Executive Ethics Board concluded there was “reasonable cause” to believe that the governor’s actions ran afoul of Washington’s ethics laws, which bar the use of state resources for the private benefit of a non-state employee.

Ferguson has had a few weeks to decide whether to pursue a settlement. Otherwise, under state law, the board would conduct a public hearing where he could contest the charges.

An Executive Ethics Board spokesperson said Thursday that Ferguson had elected to enter into settlement negotiations. If an agreement isn’t reached, a public hearing could still be held. It wasn’t immediately clear if there’s a deadline for completing a deal.

The governor’s office didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment Thursday.

Ferguson invited Webb onto the June 26, 2025, flight to the Tri-Cities, a decision he described as “pretty stupid” in a staff meeting months later.

Agency executive director Kate Reynolds, in her January recommendation to the ethics board, said the governor provided “a special privilege” to Webb by allowing him to travel on the Washington State Patrol aircraft.

Ferguson told the ethics board investigators last year that use of state resources with the flight was “de minimis in nature” and not for private gain, and he asked for the matter to be dismissed.

This story first appeared on Washington State Standard.