MOScout Weekender: Weekly Poll, Wash U Investigates, Someone Signed Ashcroft's Name and more...
The hits keep coming against the governor….
One More Shady Thing
Post-Dispatch reports that “Washington University in St. Louis is investigating whether scandal-plagued Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens misused grant funds in the run-up to his 2016 bid for governor… [F]ormer campaign aide Danny Laub testified under oath last month that he was paid $3,250 in 2014 with the proceeds of a grant that Greitens had won to do research for his fourth book… Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, won the John Templeton Foundation grant worth $362,000 in 2010. It was administered by Washington University… In his testimony, which was conducted by Attorney General Josh Hawley’s office, Laub was asked if he was paid by Washington University at some point. ‘Yes. I received two checks from this grant,’ Laub said…
The investigation found that Greitens ran an off-the-books political campaign before he formally entered the race, took a private charity’s donor list to raise campaign funds and lied about that list in a signed statement to the state’s ethics commission. The report showed Greitens and associates lied in campaign filings…”
One Actually Insane Thing
AP reports that “Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens’ administration posted a document bearing an unauthorized signature of another elected official to Greitens’ website… At issue is an executive order issued by the Republican governor on Jan. 10, 2017 — his second day in office— that directed state agencies to halt all rulemaking and review ways to reduce state regulations… Although Ashcroft never approved the version on the governor’s website, his signature nonetheless appeared on the document. Greitens spokesman Parker Briden said Friday that a ‘draft version’ of the executive order ‘was accidentally uploaded to the new website.’ But Briden said he doesn’t know why or how Ashcroft’s signature was placed on it…”
Someone in the governor’s office signed (we could actually call it forgery) the name of a statewide elected office-holder onto a document and put it up on the web??
What the hell is going on in the governor’s office??? We are not in second grade where kids sign their mom’s name for a note sent home.
MOScout Poll: Senate 18 Republican Primary
This week the MOScout Weekly poll looked at the Republican primary in Senate 18, to replace Sen. Brian Munzlinger. Munzy has endorsed Rep. Craig Redmon.
The candidates in the Republican Primary Election for State Senate are Cindy O’Laughlin, Nate Walker, Lindell Shumake and Craig Redmon. If the election were held today, for whom would you vote?
Cindy O’Laughlin: 10%
Nate Walker: 15%
Lindell Shumake: 17%
Craig Redmon: 18%
Undecided: 40%
Also, despite the everyday-a-new-scandal standard operating procedure of Governor Eric Greitens he still has a positive job approval rating among the Republican primary voters in a rural district like Senate 18. This poll shows a +22 job approval rating. That’s lower than Sen. Munzlinger’s +37, and much lower than President Donald Trump +59.
See the full results here: http://moscout.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/MOScout-Weekly-Poll-Senate-18-GOP.pdf
Kehoe: Greitens Treating Office as Part-Time Job
In his Capitol Report this week, Senate Floor Leader Mike Kehoe expresses his disappointment with governor… “Instead of focusing his efforts on being the CEO of the state of Missouri, with its $28.5 billion budget and 55,000 employees across hundreds of locations, the governor is in a self-imposed cocoon insulated by staged photo-ops and an army of attorneys. I absolutely believe that the governor should have the opportunity to share his side of the story. The committee has publicly and privately asked him to do so, but he has repeatedly refused and continues to treat the office of governor as a part-time job. The state cannot afford to have its chief executive’s attention focused on two felony indictments and trying to salvage two more years in the Governor’s Mansion…”
Initiative Petitions
Today is the date for signatures due to the secretary of state for initiative petitions. The deadline is 5PM. The minimum wage increase, New Approach’s medical marijuana, and the “CLEAN Missouri” petition have all turned in signatures already.
Lobbyists Registrations
Heath Clarkston, Doug Nelson, Kurt Schaefer added Verizon Wireless.
Deidre Hirner deleted Hirner Associations LLC, and American Wind Energy Association.
$5K+ Contributions
MACFPD Campaign Committee - $15,000 from JH Berra Construction.
New Approach PAC - $50,000 from New Approach PAC.
We Are Missouri - $59,000 from International Association of Machinists District No. 9 General Fund.
We Are Missouri - $7,240 from IAMAW Local Lodge #387.
We Are Missouri - $5,440 from International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers Local Lodge #176.
We Are Missouri - $21,800 from International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers Local Lodge 778.
Committee For A Healthy Community - $42,000 from American Heart Association.
