Donnelly Makes Frontal Attack

Rep. Margaret Donnelly is making a frontal attack on Chris Koster. No mention of Jeff Harris in her spot. Obviously, her polling shows that the more a Democratic primary voter knows about Koster, the less likely they are to vote for him. Will this ad help or hurt CCP endorsed candidate Rep. Jeff Harris (who actually got the Star's endorsement)?

Star Endorses Jeff Harris

The KC Star endorsed Rep. Jeff Harris in his bid for the Democratic nomination for attorney general. After saying nice things about Margaret Donnelly, the KC Star sings Jeff's praises and gets in a few digs at Koster.

Harris and Donnelly both show integrity. Harris, however, has an edge based on his leadership role and prosecutorial experience. As the former Democratic leader in the Missouri House, he effectively managed diverse interests, which is no small task.

Moreover, Harris has sound ideas. He wants to use the office to emphasize open government and preservation of public records, for starters. He would work to protect consumers. One of his good ideas is to transfer the Office of the Public Counsel, which represents consumers in utility rate matters, to the attorney general’s office to give it more independence.

As a legislator he worked to protect Missouri’s environment from pollution by factory farms. He also championed limits on campaign donations.

Jeff recently picked up the Columbia newspaper's endorsement, but that was his back yard. Wait, isn't this Koster's backyard? Leaving Koster out of the integrity line - BANG! Koster's corporate pig farm friends - ZING! Campaign donations - POW!

Barb Shelly Hits Koster Out of the Park

Barb Shelly has always been one of my favorite writers with the Star. This piece on Koster is a great summary on Chris Koster's political career.

Is Koster ambitious for himself or for the people?

By BARBARA SHELLY
The Kansas City Star

Chris Koster is visible in Missouri these days as a lavishly financed Democrat vying for the party’s nomination in the attorney general’s race. But he started his political life as a prosecutor who managed to make a name for himself in the mostly rural environs of Cass County. Next he was a freshman Republican senator who spoke out in opposition to restraints on stem-cell research and immersed himself in the complexities of Medicaid fraud.

Koster gained a reputation as a talented legislator unafraid to take on the special interests and socially conservative core of his own party. But those credentials don’t win Republican primaries in Missouri, and Koster, from the start, had his sights set on being the state’s attorney general. He tried tacking to the right, sponsoring bills that would crack down hard on illegal immigrants and protect large hog-raising operations from regulation by county and city governments. But those efforts drew him deeper into a political wilderness.

Though neither made it into law, the immigration and hog-farm bills damaged his standing with people who’d seen him as a refreshingly moderate lawmaker in a conservative Republican delegation.

And his defense of stem-cell research had placed him permanently on the outs with groups like Missouri Right to Life, which often call the shots in Republican primaries. So Koster decided to remake himself. Last summer he announced his incarnation as a newly minted Democrat. “I think it’s been good for my internal soul,” he told a group of editorial writers a few months later.

But has it been good for his political career? Koster may have resolved his identity crisis in his own mind, but not in the public’s. Many Democrats, it turned out, liked him better and found him more useful when he was a maverick Republican.

His opponents in the Aug. 5 primary election, dyed-in-the-wool Democratic legislators Margaret Donnelly and Jeff Harris, point out Koster’s many votes that advanced Republican causes. At the top of the list are his support for cuts in Medicaid benefits and a photo ID requirement for voters. Koster’s oversized war chest — it easily tops $1 million — is an issue with Democrats who had sought to limit campaign contributions.

His money comes mostly from political party committees and political action committees set up to avoid limits on contributions from individuals. At least $100,000 is from Rex Sinquefield, a semiretired millionaire who favors eliminating the state income tax and offering tax credits to families who send their children to private and religious schools — causes supported more frequently by Republicans than Democrats.

The one constant in Koster’s political wanderings — prosecutor to lawmaker, Republican to Democrat, maverick to suspected imposter — has been his towering ambition. About this he is upfront. It’s “up or out,” Koster says. If he can’t ascend to statewide office, he’ll move on to a prosperous law practice. Ambition is the engine that powers all political careers. But it’s pertinent to ask what candidates are ambitious for.

Donnelly wants to use the attorney general’s post to continue her work of advocating for vulnerable populations and underserved groups. She is convincing when she says that office is the height of her ambition. Harris, the leader of the House Democrats, seems driven by a combination of personal ambitions, issues he wants to pursue and aspirations for his party. And Koster? Hard to tell.

He speaks passionately about certain issues, but he has not yet articulated that his ambition extends to a higher call beyond moving to the next rung on the political ladder. Perhaps that’s what happens when you spend too much time in the wilderness. You forget to talk about the mountaintop.

Barbara Shelly is a member of the Editorial Board. She can be reached at 816-234-4594 or at bshelly@kcstar.com. She blogs at voices.kansascity.com.

AG Candidates on KCUR

The Democratic candidates for Missouri Attorney General will appear in a live debate on KCUR-FM's "Up To Date" show in Kansas City. The program is hosted by Kansas City Star political correspondent Steve Kraske.

Please tune in tomorrow at 11 AM to listen to Rep. Jeff Harris - the CCP's endorsed candidate - lay out his vision as Missouri's next Attorney General.

KCUR can be found at 89.3 FM, and their program is available streamed online at http://www.kcur.org/.

What: Attorney General Candidate Forum
Where: KCUR radio, 89.3 FM
When: 11 AM

Kinder Plays Finance Games

Fired Up Missouri reports that Kinder has played some finance games of his own by setting up the Better Leadership for Missouri PAC to funnel donations.

Here's the deal, this is a classic Republican game. Do Democrats take donations from committees - yes. What we don't see is Democrats going out, setting up a committee and then running a pass through operation. That is what has been alleged against Koster and Kinder. The only thing missing from the Kinder story is an insider who testifies that they were the one trading checks.

Play by the rules, fellas. Just like we see Harris and Donnelly attacking Koster for not playing by the rules, expect Dr. Sam Page to hold Kinder accountable, too.

Where's the Beef?

Koster says - The MEC said it was ok.

Harris' Press Release - Where's the Beef?

Harris Calls on Koster to Document Ethics Commission Approval of Campaign Fundraising Methods

Columbia - Dogged by repeated questions about his campaign's fundraising practices, Senator Chris Koster's campaign has repeatedly asserted that his campaign had been in consultation with the Missouri Ethics Commission. Koster spokesman Danny Kanner said, "The campaign committee has always acted in close consultation with the MEC at every juncture."1 Last week, news came that a member of the Ethics Commission, Michael Kilgore, plans to recuse himself from any discussions regarding the complaint filed earlier this week against Koster.2

Representative Jeff Harris' campaign today calls on Koster to release any correspondence his campaign has received from Ethics Commission staff which he believes approved of the methods his campaign used to raise money.

Additionally, Harris' campaign calls on Koster to release a copy of the first complaint that was filed against him in June. The Kansas City Star reported on July 11, that a complaint had been filed with the Ethics Commission in early June.3 According to the Star, the first complaint stated that Koster had engaged in "what can only be described as a laundering of campaign contributions."

To date, Koster's campaign has yet to release any details regarding that complaint even though Missouri law requires the Ethics Commission to provide Koster with a copy of any complaint filed against him, and unlike the Ethics Commission, Koster is not required to keep any complaint private.

"The questions raised in these news reports suggest lawbreaking by Chris Koster, who is a candidate to be Missouri's top attorney," said Harris campaign manager Christian Badger. "If the Ethics Commission did sign off on Koster's use of staff members to coordinate the funneling of massive contributions into his campaign, then he should clear his name by releasing any correspondence between his campaign and the Ethics Commission. Otherwise, Koster is impugning the integrity of the men and women at the Ethics Commission by suggesting that they signed off on his campaign fundraising schemes. The public has a right to know the charges Koster faces and to review the nature of these complaints."

An article by the Associated Press exposed the methods that Koster's campaign used, both in establishing a committee for the sole purpose of funneling money to his campaign and in using his staff to coordinate the flow of money from wealth, largely Republican donors into his campaign account.4

1 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 8, 2008, http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2008/07/mo-gop-jumps-into-the-fray-over-kosters-fundraising/

2 Kansas City Star, July 18, 2008, http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/13115

3 Kansas City Star, July 11, 2008, http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/702011.html

4 Associated Press, July 8, 2008, http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080709/NEWS01/807090486

The Smell Test

Kinda like the stench of a corporate pig farm, people start to move away from the smell. Here's an interesting article from the Post-Dispatch's web site about Democrats returning Koster's contributions.

Dem candidate returns Koster contribution
By Jo Mannies

Dr. Vernon (Doc) Harlan, a Democrat running for the 71st District state House seat in the Aug. 5 primary, says that he has returned a $300 donation to his campaign from state Sen. Chris Koster, D-Harrisonville and a St. Louis native who’s running for attorney general. Harlan cites “the recent revelation that aides to…Koster have been connected to laundering of political funds.”

Harlan was referring to reports, initially by the Associated Press’ David Lieb, that a Koster aide had delivered checks from an independent pro-Democrat campaign committee — the Economic Growth Council — to a representative for a legislative committee. That person then gave a donation from the legislative committee to the Koster aide.

Koster’s critics contend that action violated state campaign law, which bars donors from dictating to legislative committees which candidates get the money. (The Post-Dispatch ran a detailed story, days before Lieb’s account, about how the committee pass-through system works. We also reported that Koster had benefited the most, percentage-wise, from the practice.)

Koster says no illegal activity took place, and that he has regularly sought guidance from the Ethics Commission. Critics have filed complaints with the commission, which is expected to act after the primary. Commission officials have otherwise declined comment. In any case, Harlan says he “is also calling on other candidates to avoid any appearance of condoning or benefitting from unethical behavior by returning funds from Koster and his publically discredited Economic Growth Council.”

“I am deeply saddened by Mr. Koster’s decision to circumvent campaign laws by using the Economic Growth Council to access and control hundreds of thousands of laundered dollars,” Harlan said in a statement. “This is especially troubling when done by the man who aspires to be our state’s top justice official. Koster’s actions convey the message that the law is only for the rest of us, not for him and those he supports…”

Speaking of corporate pig farms (CAFO), CCP endorsed candidate Jeff Harris is the only AG candidate to address this important environmental issue (on the side of the environment, not the corporations). Here's a link to Harris' platform on this important environmental issue.

The one thing we can agree on . . .

Got this press release emailed to me by the Bipartisan Coalition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2008

Marion Eisen 314-454-1371
Senator Scott Rupp 636-357-3600
Senator Maida Coleman 314-761-3288


Bipartisan Coalition files Ethics Complaint against Koster Laundering Scheme - Republicans and Democrats call for Quick and Thorough Investigation


ST. LOUIS - State Senators Scott Rupp (R-2) and Maida Coleman (D-8) joined today with former Assistant Attorney General Marion Eisen, a Democratic lawyer from St. Louis in filing an ethics complaint against Chris Koster's campaign for Attorney General. In an unprecedented move, the bipartisan complaint alleges that Chris Koster illegally coordinated the funneling of contributions in excess of campaign finance limits into his own campaign fund.

"Creating the Economic Growth Council, whose sole purpose was to redirect contributions in excess of the legal limits. First to legislative party committees and ultimately into his campaign violates the law" said Senator Scott Rupp.

"Candidates for Attorney General should be held to highest legal and ethical standard and the questions raised in last week's Associated Press report suggest that Mr. Koster violated the people's trust" said Senator Coleman.

"A thorough and timely investigation is warranted here so the people of Missouri know whether a candidate for the States top law enforcement position violated the law and cheated Missourians out of a fair primary election," added Marion Eisen.

The fundraising activities of Chris Koster's campaign have been the subject of recent media reports that detailed how a campaign staffer was involved in carrying out a scheme to make sure that returned "over the limit" contributions would find their way back into the Koster Attorney General campaign. According to those media reports, first reported by the Associated Press and David Lieb, Susan McNay, a senior staffer on the Koster campaign was directed to various locations across the state delivering checks from the newly created Economic Growth Council to legislative party committees, which in turn handed over checks to the Koster campaign.

"Koster claims he received guidance and the OK from the Missouri Ethics Commission every step of the way," said the coalition. "If that is true then there is no reason to deny a prompt response to our complaint, and thereby restore public confidence in this tainted election process," the coalition added.

In the complaint the coalition also calls on the Missouri Ethics Commission to freeze the use of the funds received by the Koster for Missouri campaign from the Economic Growth Council.

Koster Has Pending Ethics Complaint

The Koster ethics scandel continues to grow, including this revelation (an article in yesterday's Star by Kit Wagner) that an ethics complaint was filed LAST MONTH.

Ethics complaint filed last month against Koster mirrors this week's allegations of skirting contribution limits

Chris Koster’s campaign for attorney general is the target of an ethics complaint accusing him of engaging “in what can only be described as a laundering of campaign contributions.”

The complaint, filed early last month with the Missouri Ethics Commission, describes 55 transactions involving 42 political party fundraising committees that funneled nearly $475,000 to Koster in contributions that exceeded the legal limit on individual donations.

The complaint mirrors the news reports earlier this week in which a former Koster staff member said she ran over-the-limit contributions through political party fund-raising committees. The staffer said she sometimes created documents to make it appear that the donations were independent of Koster’s campaign.

Danny Kanner, a spokesman for Koster’s campaign, said all fund-raising was within the law and done in consultation with Ethics Commission staff. He said campaign officials expect the complaint to be dismissed and saw no need to file a formal response to the allegations.

“This is the system, whether we like it or not,” Kanner said. “Koster doesn’t like the system and that’s why he voted twice to reform it.”

The complaint, a copy of which was obtained by The Kansas City Star, lays out its accusations in an eight-page narrative that starts with the creation of a fund-raising committee called the Economic Growth Council.

The Economic Growth Council was formed last December by Chuck Hatfield, a close friend of Koster and former chief of staff to Attorney General Jay Nixon. The complaint calls it a sham committee formed to accept over-the-limit contributions, then distribute the money to a variety of political party committees, which then passed the money to Koster.

Political party committees are often used to bundle large contributions because they can give up to $13,450 to a candidate and contribute another $13,450 in in-kind services. Individual contributions to candidates are limited to a maximum of $1,350.

State law allows the formation of private fundraising committees as long as they are not controlled by a candidate and are not formed solely for the benefit of a particular candidate. Hatfield said Friday that he formed the committee to raise money for Democrats, including Koster. But he said he never requested or expected the party committees to give to a particular candidate.

However, campaign disclosure reports show that of the 43 political party committees that received money from the Economic Growth Council, 42 contributed to Koster. The only committee that did not give to Koster never reported receiving any money.

The complaint notes that within a few days of receiving the contribution from the Economic Growth Council, each party committee would skim about $300 for itself and pass the rest to Koster.

“With many of these committees, the only money received was from the Economic Growth Council and the only money donated was to Missourians for Koster,” the complaint said. In addition, 10 committees each wrote checks for $13,450 to LUC Media, Koster’s ad buyer.

“These donations must have been coordinated by Chris Koster… _ how else would the committees have known to donate to this particular advertising agency?” the complaint said.

Koster’s campaign, meanwhile, filed an amended campaign finance report with the Ethics Commission on Thursday. The report eliminated references to donations from 11 political party committees and attributed $94,150 in contributions to the 2nd Senatorial District Legislative Committee in St. Charles.

Kanner said the amended report was erroneous. The campaign intended only to remove contributions that were received after the March 31 and place them into the second-quarter report that will be due next week. He blamed internal accounting glitches for the errors and said a corrected version would be filed as soon as possible.

Poll shows Harris Ahead

I'm not a big believer in polls (Twain says there are three types of lies: lies, damn lies and statistics), but the St. Louis Post Dispatch shows Jeff Harris beating his 3 contenders (Koster, Donnelly and Korth-Williams) by 10 points. Check out the article. 25% of the potential voters are undecided.

Glass Jaw

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Koster ducked out of the last scheduled forum between the three AG candidates. It was hosted by Gov. Bob Holden. Maybe Chris didn't want to have to explain to Holden why he campaigned for his opponent.

Any other ideas on why Koster backed out? His excuse was something came up on his calender. Anyone know where he was at?

Harris Champions Sunshine Law

The CCP has proudly endorsed Rep. Jeff Harris for Attorney General. Jeff is a person of substance (check out his 5 point plan on strengthening the Sunshine Law) and character. Instead of of apologizing for votes with Gov. Matt Blunt, Jeff has been holding Gov. Blunt accountable for his destruction of emails in violation of Missouri's Sunshine law - exactly the same type of thing Jeff Harris will do when he is elected attorney general of the State of Missouri.

"Koster Facts"

Here's the Koster press release on the continuing series of negative articles - its been a tough few days for Chris:

Dear Stephen,

This morning, you may be reading newspaper articles inaccurately characterizing our campaign’s fundraising practices. Because you are one of the thousands of supporters who make this campaign tick, we want you to have the facts before our political opponents try to distort them.

Here are the facts:

· This article seeks to create high drama where none exists.

· Our campaign has acted in constant consultation with the Missouri Ethics Commission. In 2000, the Commission ruled that candidates could raise money from the same committees for which they raised money. In 2004, the Commission ruled that it was irrelevant who delivered these contributions – whether it be the postman or a campaign aide. These opinions and the Commission staff have guided our actions throughout this campaign.

· The only relevant issue is the independence of the Economic Growth Council. The Economic Growth Council is an independent organization that can contribute all of the money they have and give it to our opponents, and there would be nothing the Koster campaign could do about it.

· Our campaign’s relationship with the Economic Growth Council is no different than Attorney General Jay Nixon’s relationship with the Missouri Democratic Party, or Congressman Kenny Hulshof’s relationship with the Missouri Republican Party. The simple fact is that Missourians for Koster does not control the Economic Growth Council any more than the gubernatorial candidates control their respective party committees.

· As news reports have pointed out, the use of district committees is common practice among statewide campaigns and has been explicitly authorized by the Ethics Commission.

· Any fair reading of the law and Ethics Commission opinions leads to the conclusion that our campaign has acted in a completely proper way. Our consistent consultation with Ethics Commission staff confirms that conclusion.


Your support is incredibly important to us, and we will not stand idly by while the politicians try to distort Chris’s record and his actions. Please feel free to contact the Koster campaign with any questions.

Sincerely,

Danny Kanner
Communications Director
Missourians for Koster

P.S. Here’s the story from the Kansas City Star if you haven’t seen it.

Fundraising by Koster called into question
By KIT WAGAR and JASON NOBLE
The Star’s Jefferson City correspondents

State Sen. Chris Koster’s campaign for attorney general found itself at the center of a storm Tuesday over allegations that his campaign used back-channel sources to skirt contribution limits. The Associated Press reported that a member of Koster’s campaign staff traveled throughout the state, funneling campaign contributions as large as nearly $27,000 from wealthy contributors and special interests into Koster’s campaign. State law currently limits individual contributions to a maximum of $1,350.

The Koster campaign denied its actions were inappropriate.

But Susan McNay — who no longer works for Koster’s campaign — told The Kansas City Star that her job was to run over-the-limit campaign contributions through political party fund-raising groups, which are allowed to donate nearly 10 times that individual contribution limit.

McNay said she created documents to justify the contributions and make it appear that the donations were independent of Koster’s campaign. “I trusted the candidate, even though I had questions about whether we were doing something that was not right,” McNay told the AP. “He assured me everything was fine, and now I have concerns that we broke the law.”

Koster was unavailable, but his campaign issued a statement calling the issue “an attempt at high drama where none exists.” The statement said all the campaign’s actions complied with the law and had been done in consultation with the Missouri Ethics Commission, which regulates campaign fundraising.

“As the article points out, use of (political party) committees is common practice among statewide campaigns and has been explicitly authorized by the Ethics Commission,” the Koster campaign said. Although party committees are widely used to funnel large contributions to candidates, the law requires the committees to make independent decisions about who will receive contributions.

The difference in this case is the degree to which Koster’s campaign was involved in those decisions. After the Missouri Supreme Court restored contribution limits last year, Koster was forced to refund about $370,000 to his supporters. On Dec. 18, the day after those refunds were issued, a fundraising committee was set up by Chuck Hatfield, a former chief of staff in the attorney general’s office who is a close friend of Koster’s, according to the AP.

Some 70 percent of the refunds that Koster’s campaign made were eventually donated to Hatfield’s committee, known as the Economic Growth Council. That included a $125,000 contribution from James Stowers, founder of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City.

A spokeswoman for Stowers on Tuesday acknowledged that he donated specifically to support Koster’s campaign. “When he made the contribution to the Economic Growth Council, he wasn’t in position to tell them what to do with it,” Laurie Roberts said. “They clearly gave us the impression it would be used to support Koster’s campaign.” By March 31, the council reported raising $493,825, nearly all of which eventually made its way to Koster, the AP reported.

This is the way it worked, according to the AP:

Koster’s campaign would direct contributors to send their refunds or other contributions to the Economic Growth Council. McNay then sent an e-mail on March 19 to Hatfield listing the amounts his group should give to 29 local political party committees. The Economic Growth Council wrote the checks to the political party committees. Each political party committee would then write checks to the Koster campaign, keeping a small amount for itself. McNay met with local committee directors to exchange checks.

McNay told The Kansas City Star that her assignment was to organize contributions to local political party committees, which would then give them to Koster’s campaign. McNay said she determined the amounts that Hatfield’s group would contribute to each of the political party committees she mentioned in her March 19 e-mail. It was simply part of her job.

Koster spokesman Danny Kanner said Tuesday nothing was wrong with such an exchange of checks because Hatfield made independent decisions to contribute to those party committees supporting Koster. If he had contributed to Koster’s opponents, Koster could do nothing about it, Kanner said. McNay also said that in several cases she used her computer at the Koster campaign to create a cover letter for the donations that included Hatfield’s name under an Economic Growth Council letterhead.

Koster told the AP that he was unaware that McNay used campaign equipment to create those documents. But McNay said she had informed Koster of her actions. Koster, a former Republican prosecutor from Cass County who switched to the Democratic Party last year, is one of three major candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for attorney general.

His opponents — state Reps. Margaret Donnelly of St. Louis County and Jeff Harris of Columbia — said the Koster campaigns actions went beyond routine bundling of contributions. “This story raises serious questions and demands a thorough investigation,” Donnelly said. Harris said, “There does seem to be a pattern of looking for shortcuts with him.”

Here's what I find shocking - just how quickly Koster's donors (Stowers, etc.) are bailing on him. McNay seems to have produced enough emails to cover her butt, now the donors seem to be doing a little CYA, as well.

"Mo. AG candidate used staff to channel money "

Here's an eye-opening AP article

By DAVID A. LIEB
Associated Press Writer

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- They met at an Italian restaurant in southwest Missouri. A campaign aide for Democratic attorney general candidate Chris Koster and the treasurer for a local Democratic committee. The purpose: a check exchange.

Koster's aide handed the Democratic official a check from an innocuous-sounding group called the Economic Growth Council, along with a pair of letters she had created - one from the Economic Growth Council accompanying its money, the other from Koster's campaign soliciting money from the local political committee.

The letters were formalities. The Democratic official provided Koster's aide a pair of checks similar in size to the amount she had received.

Just like that, Koster's campaign channeled nearly $27,000 to itself - part of the roughly $450,000 from big-time donors that got routed around campaign contribution limits to Koster in a three-month period.

E-mail communications obtained by The Associated Press show Koster's campaign staff helped direct donors wishing to give more than the state limit to the Economic Growth Council, then coordinated the transfer of that money to local political party committees and onto Koster's campaign - a potential violation of an 8-year-old ruling against such orchestration.

The documents were provided to the AP by someone close to Koster's campaign on the condition of anonymity, because the person is not authorized to speak for the campaign.

Koster defends his fundraising tactics as legal - and similar to those being used by other major statewide candidates.

But it's unclear whether other campaign staffs have been so deeply involved in coordinating the money shuffling. A former Koster campaign aide now is concerned the tactics may have been illegal.

Officials at the Missouri Ethics Commission are reluctant to say publicly whether fundraising scenarios such as Koster's violate campaign finance laws, in case they later are asked to make a ruling.

But "that's getting awfully close," said former Ethics Commission executive director Bob Connor, who remains on staff at the commission. "That could come before the commission if somebody thought it was improper."

The Ethics Commission historically has granted candidates considerable leeway. For example, regulators have said candidates can both raise money for other political committees and solicit contributions from those committees.

But in a 2000 opinion that remains in effect today, the Missouri Ethics Commission said candidates cannot request that contributions be made to other political committees "with the express purpose of passing those contributions through the committee to the candidate."

Koster said his actions are within the bounds of that decision.

"I strongly believe - because we have acted in consultation with the law, the rulings and on the advise of the ethics commission - that we are in line with campaign finance laws," Koster said in an interview at his Jefferson City campaign headquarters.

Koster is facing state Reps. Margaret Donnelly and Jeff Harris in the Aug. 5 Democratic attorney general primary. The winner may no longer have to worry about campaign contribution limits, because a bill pending before Gov. Matt Blunt would repeal them effective Aug. 28.

A state senator and former Cass County prosecutor, Koster is a prolific fundraiser who switched from the Republican to Democratic party shortly before he announced his attorney general's candidacy in fall 2007.

Like other statewide candidates, Koster reaped five- and six-figure contributions while Missouri's donation limits were temporarily lifted during the first half of 2007. After the Missouri Supreme Court reinstated the limits, Koster joined other statewide candidates in refunding all donations above the retroactively reinstated maximum of $1,275.

For Koster, that meant returning about $370,000. His refunds checks were dated Dec. 17. The next day, the Economic Growth Council was created with the Ethics Commission by Chuck Hatfield, a former top aide to Democratic Attorney General Jay Nixon. Koster had befriended Hatfield in law school and later served as the best man in Hatfield's wedding.

Hatfield said the creation of the Economic Growth Council was his own idea.

About 70 percent of Koster's Christmastime refunds were re-donated to the Economic Growth Council, including $125,000 from stem-cell research supporter James Stowers and $17,450 from Ameristar casinos. The point man for both donors was lobbyist Jorgen Schlemeier.

So why give to Hatfield's committee?

"The treasurer at the Economic Growth Council made a very clear statement that we're founded to help Chris Koster out," Schlemeier said.

Through the first three months of 2008, the council reported receiving $493,825 from various donors, nearly all of which was routed to Koster.

The council directly gave Koster the maximum $1,350. Much of the rest made its way to Koster by first passing through local political party committees, which can give almost 20 times the amount toward candidates as individuals, businesses and interest groups.

On March 19, then-Koster campaign staffer Susan McNay sent en e-mail to Hatfield with the names of 29 local political committees and the amounts of money each was to receive from the Economic Growth Council. Hatfield responded that he would write the checks.

McNay, who has since left Koster's campaign, said Koster asked her to deliver the Economic Growth Council checks to the local political party committees so that she could exchange them for contributions to Koster's campaign. In several cases, McNay acknowledged, she also used her Koster campaign computer to create a memo bearing Hatfield's name on Economic Growth Council letterhead that accompanied the checks to the political committees.

Koster said he was unaware McNay used campaign equipment to create Economic Growth Council documents, though McNay said she had informed Koster of what she was doing.

In essence, McNay was working for the Economic Growth Council - driving thousands of miles around the state as a check courier - while being paid by Koster's campaign.

"I trusted the candidate, even though I had questions about whether we were doing something that was not right," McNay said. "He assured me everything was fine, and now I have concerns that we broke the law."

On March 25, for example, McNay met Shelby County Clerk Tracy Smith outside a northern Missouri courthouse to hand over a $2,550 check to the 18th Senatorial District Democratic Committee of which Smith is treasurer. In exchange, McNay received a $2,350 check to Koster's campaign.

The next day, about 330 miles to the southwest, McNay met Jasper County Democratic Chairwoman Susan DeCarlo at an Italian restaurant in Joplin. It was the second time she had delivered a $13,750 check for the 129th Legislative District Democratic Committee of which DeCarlo is treasurer. McNay left the restaurant with a pair of $13,450 checks - one a direct contribution to Koster, the other an indirect contribution made payable to Koster's advertising buyer, LUC Media of Marietta, Ga.

Koster contends other campaigns also routinely use staffers to shuttle and flip checks through political committees, though he cited no one specifically by name. Hatfield also defended it as legal, adding: "This level of coordination with campaigns is not unusual."

Koster pointed to a July 2004 Ethics Commission decision rejecting a complaint alleging Democratic Gov. Bob Holden had violated campaign finance laws. In that case, a volunteer for Holden had delivered a check from the Missouri Democratic Party to a local political committee, which then gave her a check for Holden.

Perhaps the most comparable situation to Koster's is that of Republican gubernatorial candidate Sarah Steelman. Two wholesome-sounding committees - Power to the People and the Committee for Common Sense Values - contributed more than $120,000 during the first three months of the year to various local political party committees, which passed the money onto Steelman.

But Steelman spokesman Spence Jackson said he is unaware of anyone on Steelman's campaign staff personally delivering and picking up the checks.

Nixon, a Democrat, and Republican Kenny Hulshof both also have received dollars that flowed from their state party committees through local political committees to their gubernatorial campaigns. But spokesmen for Nixon and Hulshof both denied campaign staff ever had been involved in shuffling those checks from one committee to the next.

"Candidates skirt donation limits"

The St. Louis Post Dispatch had a story on Sunday about candidates skirting donation limits via campaign committees. The article spent a considerable amount of time on one candidate, Chris Koster.

— The pass-through system has been particularly helpful to one Democrat running for attorney general, state Sen. Chris Koster of Harrisonville. Of the $833,534 that Koster raised between Oct. 1 and March 31, 81 percent came from campaign committees.

The article goes on to detail who is funding these committees. Some of the most active contributors are wealthy individuals who seek to advance their causes: Rex Sinquefield, a semi-retired financier who seeks an end to Missouri's income tax and supports tax breaks for people who send their children to private or parochial schools. Rex Sinquefield wants vouchers to take kids out of public schools and put them into private schools and is willing to set up 100 PACS to fund candidates who support his vision of education in Missouri. The Post reports that Sinquefield, through his 100 PACS, gave Koster almost $300,000.

There is a 3 way primary for attorney general within the Democratic party. Koster's opponents wasted no time capitalizing on the Post article. You can see the ad above by CCP Endorsed candidate, Rep. Jeff Harris. Harris has put the much rumored Ashcroft/Koster ad on the air. Rep. Margaret Donnelly sent out this fundraising appeal:

Today the Republican attempt to buy our Democratic primary will begin in earnest in Kansas City and St. Louis. Koster and his expensive team will try to pull the wool over the eyes of voters. He will use his ads to avoid answering for his horrible record by saying that he is above politics. We must remind voters that it isn’t politics to ask him to be accountable for his record, it’s common sense. You don’t get “do-over’s” in politics, especially when we are talking about people’s lives.

. . .

The St. Louis Post Dispatch recently published an article that details how Koster has raised a staggering 81% of his campaign war chest from special legislative committees. What they don’t tell you is that Koster and his Republican allies like Rex Sinquefield are using these committees to funnel money in an attempt to buy the Democratic primary for Attorney General.

"Buy the Democratic primary!?!" The outcome of this race will be telling, because insiders in both major parties are asking that same question.

Koster Falsely Claims "Unanimous" Support

Large groups of thinking people rarely achieve unanimous agreement on anything - a fact we at the CCP are well aware of. That's why we were surprised when we received an email last week from the Koster campaign, claiming that "the unanimous support of Missouri’s law enforcement community for our candidacy was solidified when the St. Louis Police Officers’ Association endorsed me."

Why would the Koster campaign tell such an obvious lie, merely 5 weeks before the Democratic primary? A quick peak over at the website of our favorite candidate, Jeff Harris, reveals a huge list of important endorsements, including a great group of over 20 from the law enforcement community.

We are more proud than ever that we chose to endorse Jeff Harris, a real Democrat who tells the truth.

Koster Known by the Company He Keeps

The CCP has endorsed Rep. Jeff Harris in his bid for attorney general. He recently released this video about one of his primary opponents, Chris Koster. Rumors say look for a re-release of the TV ad that Koster did for John Ashcroft when Ashcroft lost to Carnahan.

Harris Takes on Greedy Oil Companies

The CCP has proudly endorsed Rep. Jeff Harris in his bid for Attorney General. As a life long Democrat, he has taken the lead on many Democratic issues. No apologies, no accident in voting for Medicaid cuts, no getting your picture with Dick Cheney, no slip ups endorsing John Ashcroft over Mel Carnahan. Just a life long, real-to-life Democrat. Here's the latest example:

Harris Pledges to Take on "Hot Fuel" As Attorney General, He will Use His Office to Protect Consumers at the Pump

Columbia - With Missourians preparing for the July 4th holiday, Representative Jeff Harris today unveiled his plan to combat the pricing discrepancy caused by "hot fuel" at gas stations. Harris pledged that as Missouri's next Attorney General he will use his office to aggressively protect consumers at the pump.

The Kansas City Star has reported extensively on the issue of hot fuel, estimating in 2006 that consumers were being overcharged $2.3 billion annually.1 That amount would now be significantly higher as the price of gas has soared over the past year.

The overcharging occurs because gasoline expands when the temperature goes up in summer months. This means that a 231-cubic-inch gallon sold in 90-degree weather produces less energy than a 231-cubic-inch gallon sold in 60 degree weather. With gas prices now at nearly $4 per gallon that difference can add up to nearly 7-cents per gallon. That adds up to more than $1 every time the average consumer fills up the tank.2

"Missouri consumers shouldn't be paying a dime more than they have to when Big Oil companies are making record profits," said Harris. "I will aggressively work to put an end to this hot fuel rip-off, whether that's at the bully pulpit, through legislative action, or in the court or law."

He emphasized that he wants to focus on solutions that will make Big Oil companies pay the costs to fix the problem that they have knowingly allowed to continue, rather than having family-owned gas stations and other small companies bear the burden. Harris noted that his plan to combat hot fuel will compliment the efforts that current Attorney General Jay Nixon has made in combating price gouging in gasoline sales.

"Jay Nixon has done a great job working for consumers," Harris said. "Despite that, every time you turn around, consumers are still taking it on the chin, and no where any worse than at the pump. I'm not about to guarantee that we'll win every battle, but I do want voters to know that when I'm Attorney General, I'll be standing in their corner fighting for them."

Harris Continues to Roll in the Democratic Endorsements

CCP endorsed candidate Rep. Jeff Harris, who is running for Attorney General, continues to get the endorsements of real Democrats.

Former Lt. Gov. Joe Maxwell is the latest life-long Democrat to show up supporting Rep. Jeff Harris. Keep in mind, this is a Democratic primary, not a general election. Democrats are electing a person that represents our values, not a person who has had to apologize for their prior votes.

Here is a bold predication - if you have ever endorsed John Ashcroft over the patron saint of the Democratic party, Mel Carnahan, you are not going to get the Democratic party's endorsement.

Harris Goes "Sound of Music" on Koster

This is the latest from CCP Endorsed candidate Jeff Harris, life long Democratic candidate for attorney general.