Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Rumorville: Hawley COS Exiting
Word is that Evan Rosell, chief of staff to Attorney General Josh Hawley, is leaving the AG’s office. One source says that he’s relocating to be closer to his family.
Meanwhile
In case there was any doubt… Hawley’s campaign sent out a press release saying that he would file for U.S. Senate tomorrow.
Q&A #1: What’s Worse Than The House Launching An Investigation?
Short answer: More charges coming from Kim Gardner.
Dominating the day in Jefferson City was the anticipation of the House forming an investigative committee. See Jason Hancock’s story here. An all-business, stone-faced Speaker Todd Richardson announced at the press conference the 7-person committee would be comprised of Chair Jay Barnes, GOP Reps. Kevin Austin, Shawn Rhoads, Donald Phillips, and Jeanie Lauer; Dem Reps. Gina Mitten, and Tommie Pierson Jr.
But this was quickly eclipsed by a pair of Post-Dispatch articles which point to more charges coming from St. Louis City Prosecutor Kim Gardner.
The first was by Robert Patrick and Joel Currier (see it here). It reported on the “contentious hearing Monday in St. Louis Circuit Court.” Gardner’s team reveals that their on-going investigation could bring more charges against the governor.
Pull Quote: Circuit Judge Rex Burlison asked [Gardner assistant Robert] Steele if any subsequent investigation would be charged in the existing case against Greitens, or as a new case. Steele responded that some would and some would not; he said prosecutors would not be ready in a month.
The second article was by Jack Suntrup (see it here). It offered a glimpse where some of these additional charges may stem from: The Mission Continues donor list.
This isn’t new stuff. It’s been talked and written about countless times during the past year and half. The Greitens campaign obtained the donor list from the Mission Continues and used it to raise money. Mission Continues says they didn’t give it to them.
What’s new is this: “An employee of Eric Greitens’ emailed a donor list from the Mission Continues charity to two of Greitens’ campaign staffers in early 2015, according to a copy of the email obtained by the Post-Dispatch… Krystal Taylor, whose LinkedIn profile said she was a vice president at the Greitens Group at the time, sent the list to campaign staffers Michael Hafner and Danny Laub on Jan. 6, 2015, according to the email. According to her profile, Taylor had worked at the Mission Continues until May 2014, the same month the list was created…”
It’s the first paper trail that’s been made public. And it’s big clue if investigators were trying to determine if, and by whom, the list was illegally obtained.
Plus, on Twitter, Greitens critic and Republican political operative Scott Dieckhaus, cited a perjury statute. The implication being that Greitens’ MEC consent order may have – in the words of Roy Temple – “contained material misstatements of fact.”
How much of this is pure conjecture? How much of this comes to be? Who knows? But it’s a mess. And it means something that is bad news for Greitens and bad news for Republicans: we are still very early in this whole saga.
Follow-Up on Humphreys
Gamble and Schlemeier emails with a clarification, saying that “Mr. Humphreys has not discussed his position on the proceedings relation to Gov. Greitens.”
Hmmm...
The Case for Not Resigning
One Republican thinks that letting the justice system play out is essential for the party. “If they don’t allow Greitens to clear his own name, then there is inter-party squabbling, which makes the base not want to help this November. And if they do allow him to clear his own name, he will either (a) be cleared in time for it to not matter in November OR (b) go down on his own sword and not affect Hawley six long months from now.”
Ed’s Advice
Ed Martin on Greitens: The powers that be are going to cut him loose in every way… The best thing Greitens can do is get in a room with federal prosecutors and cut a deal and move on…
Driving the Day
8AM – folks start lining up at the Secretary of State’s office to file for 2018 elections…. And we’re off….
Iron County Medical Bankruptcy
KFVS reports (see it here) that “Iron County Medical Center CEO Joshua Gilmore announced on Wednesday that the facility has filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy…
“During Town Hall Meetings over the last several months we have been very clear concerning our critical financial concerns,” stated Gilmore. “I, along with my team of very dedicated employees, have been working diligently and tirelessly to find ways to remedy the situation. While we have made progress in many areas, we have not been able to pay down our debts in a manner that provides us the protection we need to get to short-term viability and long-term sustainability. Consequently, the decision was made to seek protection by filing for Chapter 9 under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.”
The Iron County Hospital in Pilot Knob is in dire need of help. So much that hospital leaders are asking for the peoples help with a half-cent sales tax on the next ballot coming up in April…
If approved, the tax could generate roughly $350,000 to $420,000 per year for the hospital. Something Gilmore said they desperately need… If the hospital were to close, the closest critical access hospitals in the area would be Fredericktown or Farmington which is roughly 30 minutes away….”
Iron County is represented by Sen. Gary Romine and Rep. Chris Dinkins.
Meet Richard Uihlien
Last week I wrote about Richard Uihlien who’s been a big Greitens donor, and has contributed to the campaign to support right to work. Over the weekend the New York Times ran an article in which he figured prominently. See it here.
“One of the [Illinois Policy Institute’s] largest donors is a foundation bankrolled by Richard Uihlein, an Illinois industrialist who has spent millions backing Republican candidates in recent years, including Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, and Gov. Bruce Rauner of Illinois.
Tax filings show that Mr. Uihlein has also been the chief financial backer in recent years of the Liberty Justice Center, which represents Mark Janus, the Illinois child support specialist who is the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case.
And Mr. Uihlein has donated well over $1 million over the years to groups like the Federalist Society that work to orient the judiciary in a more conservative direction. They have helped produce a Supreme Court that most experts expect to rule in Mr. Janus’s favor…
Few philanthropists have funded a more sweeping assault on labor than Mr. Uihlein, who with his wife, Elizabeth, founded a Wisconsin-based shipping supply company called Uline.
Mr. Uihlein is an ardent conservative who considers many Republican office holders too moderate on fiscal and social issues, according to those who know him…
The Uihleins have spent tens of millions of dollars over the past decade supporting Republican candidates and committees. That includes contributions to super PACs backing the 2016 presidential campaigns of Mr. Walker and Mr. Cruz, and at least $250,000 to help Mr. Walker survive a 2012 recall election. (Mr. Uihlein did not respond to a request for comment.)
The Uihleins appear to be preoccupied with state employee pensions and the unions that negotiate them…”
MEC Fine
The Missouri Ethics Commission fined Edward McFowland $16,408 because his campaign filing were an absolute utter mess. See it here.
Help Wanted
Missouri Republican Party seeks Regional Field Director’s (RFD’s). “RFD’s will work with Field Organizers in communities across the region, activating and engaging with grassroots supporters for Republican electoral success in 2018… Managing Field staff within their region; Achieving regional goals by tailoring statewide plans to match regional needs; Managing Victory Centers; Direct oversight of volunteer growth and development - Primary interface between down-ticket candidates and the national field program… Contact: RLI@mogop.org”
New Committees
Dennis McDonald formed a candidate committee (Committee To Elect Dennis Mcdonald) to run for House 114 as a Democrat. The current incumbent is Republican Rep. Becky Ruth.
Bing Schimmelpfenning formed a candidate committee (Vote For Bing Schimmelpfenning) to run for House 55 as a Republican. The current incumbent, Rick Brattin, is termed.
Lobbyists Registrations
Mark Rhoads added Caesars Enterprise Services LLC.
Gary Burton added J&J Ventures of Missouri LLC.
Rodney Bland deleted Kansas City Public Schools Retirement Systems, Energy Systems Group, and The Gideons Group.
William Gamble, Cynthia Gamble, Jorgen Schlemeier, Sarah Topp, David Jackson, Kathryn Gamble and Jeff Brooks deleted Air Evac LifeTeam.
$5K+ Contributions
We Are Missouri - $45,440 from Missouri AFL-CIO General Fund.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Doug Crews, and Hannah Beers.
