Eric Schmitt @Eric_Schmitt
It’s almost as if all the fear mongering around COVID was just one big power play. 1:36 PM · Mar 12, 2022
Sociopath.
Some of the responses:
Jason Kander @JasonKander
Replying to @Eric_Schmitt
Are you vaccinated? Did you get the booster? 3:24 PM · Mar 12, 2022
It’s as if the claim about fear mongering around COVID is just another example of Schmitt’s stupidity.
950,000 US deaths; 19,500 MO deaths. Many with long haul COVID and our healthcare system almost breaking. No one should worry about that.
What a ghoul!
20k dead constituents could not be reached for comment.
Help me understand this. I’m not supposed to care about something factual, but whatever you’re selling is legit. Just how much is your snake oil and where can I purchase some?
What is wrong with you? [….]
Day drinking and tweeting again Eric? What’s this even about? See this is why you lose so many lawsuits; all accusation, no context.
It’s almost as if all the COVID-denialism (almost 1 million US deaths!) was just one big power play… (as you, for example, run for senate)
It’s hard for me to understand an elected politician being so openly dismissive of nearly a million dead Americans as @Eric_Schmitt seems to be.
Kinda like “build a wall” bullshit right???
My father died of Covid. You are a horrible person.
So the people who died from COVID were just part of a huge fear mongering power play? You are an idiot.
It’s almost as if you’re a #PoliticalHack.
People have tried to explain the science behind the measures to mitigate the impact of the COVID pandemic to you but obviously you cannot comprehend. So now we just have you spewing forth your vomit of lies and misinformation.
Do you LIKE playing the miserable SOB who people loathe with a passion?
Right, f*ck those petty people that buried family and friends.
So, everyone who has died from Covid don’t really exist? Brick shy of a load Schmitt.
You’re an idiot. Millions have died. What a pathetic existence you live.
Tell that to everyone who lost people. Asshole.
Or you’re just an idiot
My god. What the actual fck is wrong with you? Are you seriously so desperate for attention you sit there and make lists of the most vile things you could say? A lot of people died. A lot are suffering long term effects. This is disgusting and your family should feel shame.
How many of your constituents died from it last week, you monstrous shit?
Josh Hawley Is the Thirstiest Man in Washington, D.C.
In a town full of thirsty people, Josh Hawley is crawling across the Kalahari. Meanwhile, he and every other senator knows the president* is guilty as sin.
By Charles P. Pierce
Jan 22, 2020
WASHINGTON—Let me tell you something I know for certain. Listen, for this thing is true. There is a rookie U.S. Senator named Josh Hawley. He comes from Missouri and he is a Republican. He replaced MSNBC’s Claire McCaskill, who was a nominal Democrat, because Missouri is one of those states that has steadily lost its mind over the last two decades, which we’re not supposed to notice because it is impolite to all those nice people who carried the prion disease into our politics. Anyway, in a town full of thirsty people, Josh Hawley is a man crawling across the Kalahari. And this is the thing that I know for certain. The most dangerous place to stand in Washington D.C. is any place between Senator Josh Hawley and a live microphone….
[….]
Around midday on Wednesday, there was a bank of microphones and an exaltation of television cameras in the basement of the Capitol, where the little trams disgorge senators on their way to the chamber from their various office buildings. This is prime quote-stalking territory, even with the ludicrous restrictions that have been put in place, especially for these impeachment days. The microphones and cameras had been lined up for a scheduled press conference with the House managers of the impeachment trial. They were running a little late. Meanwhile, Hawley got off the tram, spotted the microphones and cameras, and reacted like a wolverine in a meat locker. His closing speed was nothing short of stunning. He was already at full boil by the time he’d reached his mark.
[….]
The people in the first rows of the galleries leaned over a little further, and the people in the rows behind them stretched and craned their necks. Down and to Schiff’s left, Mitch McConnell was holding the arms of his chair so tightly that his knuckles went bloodless and his lips were clenched tighter than his fingers were. You could not have pulled a pin out of McConnell’s ass with a tractor.
It was only a moment, and it passed, and McConnell soon slipped back into the placid mien of The Man Who Has The Votes. But the president* is guilty as sin, and they all know it, and they all know they can’t do anything about it because more senators don’t want to do anything about than do want to do anything about it. But the president* is as guilty as Jesse James, and they all know it. Every one of them knows it. They have to decide if they can live with that knowledge, and the tragedy is that they get to decide whether we have to live with it, too.
Republican
Name Mailing Address Random Number Date Filed
Tony Monetti 610 SOUTHWEST DR WARRENSBURG MO 64093 264 2/27/2018 8:21 a.m.
Austin Petersen 19615 S STATE ROUTE J PECULIAR MO 64078 345 2/27/2018 8:20 a.m.
Josh Hawley 5215 E HWY 163 COLUMBIA MO 65201 484 2/27/2018 1:16 p.m.
Fred Ryman 2838 SCHOTT RD JEFFERSON CITY MO 65101 569 2/27/2018 8:57 a.m.
Christina Smith 1425 SUNSET LAKE RD APT. 4 JEFFERSON CITY MO 65109 673 2/27/2018 4:05 p.m.
Kristi Nichols 16657 E 23 ST S SUITE 224 INDEPENDENCE MO 64055 688 2/27/2018 2:49 p.m.
Bradley Krembs 32 FLOYD DR ST CHARLES MO 63303 695 2/27/2018 11:30 a.m.
Ken Patterson 94 ELK RUN DR EUREKA MO 63025 971 2/27/2018 9:09 a.m.
Brian G. Hagg PO BOX 165 AURORA MO 65605 3/5/2018 9:01 a.m.
Courtland Sykes 9738 E WINNER RD INDEPENDENCE MO 64052 3/12/2018 1:42 p.m.
Democratic
Name Mailing Address Random Number Date Filed
Carla (Coffee) Wright 519 N NEWSTEAD AVE ST LOUIS MO 63108 116 2/27/2018 4:59 p.m.
Angelica Earl 9210 BOBB AVE ST LOUIS MO 63114 603 2/27/2018 10:12 a.m.
Leonard Joseph Steinman II 2217 W EDGEWOOD DR JEFFERSON CITY MO 65109 865 2/27/2018 12:11 p.m.
John Hogan 1120 SADDLEBROOK CT N ST CHARLES MO 63304 882 2/27/2018 8:42 a.m.
Travis Gonzalez 2519 AURORA AVENUE APT 1 MARYVILLE MO 64468 3/1/2018 8:53 a.m.
David Faust 1113 CREEKSIDE CT RAYMORE MO 64083 3/5/2018 3:30 p.m. Claire McCaskill 1941 SPRING HOUSE DR ST LOUIS MO 63122 3/16/2018 4:47 p.m.
Libertarian
Name Mailing Address Random Number Date Filed
Japheth Campbell 503 N FOREST AVE SPRINGFIELD MO 65802 3/5/2018 11:29 a.m.
[emphasis added]
Do you think any of these other candidates are going to schedule open public town halls across the state? Just asking.
The fact that the Alabama GOP selected as its senatorial candidate a fanatical rightwing Christian who, while in his thirties, attempted to seduce teenagers as young as 14 years puts the onus on the erstwhile party of evangelicals to take a stand on his suitability to serve. Given that many were just fine with President P**** Grabber, that may be expecting a little too much. But if not now, when do folks stand up for basic decency and intelligent government?
Every GOP senator needs to let us know whether they’re willing to welcome a Bible-thumping pedophile into the Senate just so they can retain the necessary votes to pack the court with unqualified right-wing nutjobs, cut taxes for wealthy donors, pay for them by shafting the working and middle class, cripple Obamacare, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and, appropriately, given Moore’s dominionist leanings, eviscerate women’s reproductive health rights.
So far as I know, our Missouri Republican Senator Roy Blunt has tacked for cover. He has, evidently bailed on a scheduled fundraiser for Moore, discretion being the better part of valor after all. Nevertheless I can’t find a statement from ol’ Roy anywhere – if you know of one, please let me know. Blunt needs to come clean about whether he’s going to welcome Brother Moore into the Senate or stand up for what we’ve been told are the outstanding GOP family values.
What will Sen. Blunt do when push comes to shove (besides trying to avoid getting to shove)?:
Does Sen. Blunt think it’s OK to allow a man into the Senate who has been the first to condemn and attempt to punish others for their sexual orientation – to the point of defying the law – while, as an adult, preying on inexperienced young girls?
Surely Sen. Blunt won’t resort to justifying such predatory behavior by pointing out that in the past social mores sanctioned the marriage of very young women – as others in the GOP have? Or that it’s sanctioned by the Bible? As Kathryn Brightbill points out in an Op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, justifying the sexual exploitation of very young women is not unknown in extreme evangelical circles all too willling to put the onus on the morally inferior “seductive” female.
Will he try Donald Trump’s dodge? When Trump isn’t saying that nothing’s been proven, he tells us hat he’s just been too busy governing to pay attention to a major scandal stalking his party? Sounds like alot like the way Blunt often attempts to avoid controversy.
Will he stand up for Moore and take his denials at face value? Easy, but dangerous. In spite of Evangelical Rev. Jerry Falwell’s knee jerk support for Moore, it’s a hard case for an intelligent human being to make and Bunt’s not dumb. As Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) declared “the allegations against Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore are more credible than Moore’s denial.”
Or there’s the noncommittal strategy employed by many Republicans – Moore should step aside “if the accusations are true,” even though statements by the young women have been shown to be highly credible and correspond to rumors that had been circulating in Alabama for years.
I’m taking odds that Roy will go for number five. More his “wiggle room” style. Neither here nor there, but right where he needs to be to do the work of his big money cronies. Maybe he’ll sprinkle in a little bit of the “attending to business” meme as well.
Of course, he could do the right thing and condemn the hypocrite and refuse to go along with seating him in the Senate should Moore win his election.
Nah … not Roy. Moral stands aren’t going to become his thing this late in the game.
UPDATE: Maybe Bunt will follow the latest shift in the response of the Senate leadership and disavow Moore after all – a new poll shows Moore’s Democratic challenger up 4 points. In Alabama. And Sen. Blunt’s a good little team player.
Missouri Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill is all over the Internet today. This clip* – in which McCaskill calls out GOP Senator Orrin Hatch about the shameful effort of Senate Republicans to slip their Obamacare Dump & Dupe bill through the Congress with no Democratic input or public examination – is literally on every progressive blog and on news websites everywhere. And it ought to be.
Our Democratic Senator is doing what she’s good at: plain speaking. And what she’s speaking about is the shameful way that GOP Senators are trying to take away our healthcare. They’re proposing to bring up for a vote a mystery bill, composed in backrooms by a “select” group of rightwingers, schedule no hearings, and offer no chance for our Democratic Senators to offer input. They clearly thought that we’d be so distracted by the Russian president’s road-to-impeachment circus that we’d never notice.
Stop and think about this for a minute. If a political plan or proposal can’t stand the light of day, it’s got to be really bad.
How bad? This article by WaPos Greg Sargent, summarizing what is known or inferred about the bill’s contents, makes it clear that while it may not be the execrable dog’s breakfast thrown up by the House, it still makes for a pretty rotten repast – especially for those of us with preexisting conditions.
Go watch the clip now. Then phone or email Senator McCaskill and thank her for standing up for everyday Missourians.
Then go phone or email Missouri’s GOP Senator Blunt and ask him where he stands – and make it clear that we can make the ground shake for him if he’s willing to go along with the Obamacare repeal-and-replace charade the GOP Senate seems to be trying to engineer
*A transcript of McCaskill’s comments has been entered as a comment – thanks to Michael Bersin.
I just called the office of my Missouri Democratic Senator, Claire McCaskill, to thank her – and you should too. Her Washington number has been busy (a good sign?), but I got through to her St. Louis office with no trouble (numbers for her Washington and regional offices can be found here).
Why did I want to thank Senator McCaskill so urgently? Today she stood up for Americans who are revolted by the cabinet nominations of the rabid circus MC that the Russians put into the American presidency. She along with all the Democratic members of the Senate Finance Committee boycotted the Committee meeting where votes on the nominations of Goldman Sachs financier Steve Mnuchin to be Secretary of the Treasury, and of Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) to head Health and Human Services, were slated. This maneuver deprived the Republican majority of the quorum necessary to ram the two manifestly unfit nominees through the committee.
McCaskill is a cautious woman who represents a state that went for Trump by 19 points – a fact that seems to weigh heavily on her mind – and for good reason since she’s up for reelection in 2018. Standing up to the bullies who’ve tried to pressure her to go along to get along – making big local ad buys targeting her, for instance – can’t be easy. She deserves a little love for putting principle before comfort.
But resisting the Trump-GOP combine as McCaskill did today – and, we hope, continues to do – is essential. In this particular case the two men slated for leadership positions in government are not only ideological disasters, they, in the words of the ranking Committee member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), “misled the public and held back important information about their backgrounds.” He added that:
Until questions are answered, Democrats believe the committee should not move forward with either nomination. […] This is about getting answers to questions, plain and simple. Ethics laws are not optional, and nominees do not have a right to treat disclosure like a shell game.
We may not be able to stop the nominations when all is said and done, but Democrats have got to be clear that they won’t support corrupt and unfit nominees for any office. Republicans may be scared spineless by Trump’s Twitter, but Democrats had better not be if they want to survive as a party.
Price is not only guilty of capitalizing on his privileged position as a congressman to violate insider trading laws, but is accused of explicitly lying about the nature of his questionable financial ventures during the Committee’s initial hearings. Mnuchin was part of the financial cartel that employed illegal robo-signing practices to made big bucks off the 2008 foreclosure crisis, but when called on the practice during the hearings, he gave false testimony about his bank’s use of the abusive practice. In essence, we have a president who comes from the dregs of the business world and who has dredged up some more bottom-feeders to run government agencies for him.
But worse is coming – tonight President Carnival Barker will announce his nominee for the Supreme Court. All three putative favorites are horrible. Not only are the stakes high, but the nomination of anyone other than Merrick Garland cannot be accepted by Democrats given the fact that inexcusable GOP stonewalling stole the office from this well-qualified candidate. We can only pray that Democrats will be willing to take up the burden of possibly prolonged opposition. We need to show them that we’re on their side when they do – and we can do that starting now by letting our Missouri Democrat, Claire McCaskill, know that we appreciate what she did today. Make that call.
CURRENT COMMITTEE INFORMATION
C90015801
Name: RIGHT WAY INITIATIVE INC.
Address: PO BOX 27, ALEXANDRIA, VA 22313
Treasurer Name:
Type: I – INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURE – PERSON OR GROUP NOT A COMMITTEE
Designation: U – UNAUTHORIZED
Party:
It’s the same address as the mailing.
They sent a letter in response to a request for additional information from the Federal Election Commission on August of 2016:
August 2, 2016
Jessica Grainger
Campaign Finance Analyst
Reports Analysis Division
Federal Election Commission
999 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20463
Identification Number: C90015801
Reference: APRIL QUARTERLY REPORT (01/01/2016 – 03/31/2016), FILED 4/15/2016
Dear Ms. Grainger:
This response pertains to the Reports Analysis Division’s (“RAD”) Request for Additional Information (“RFAI”) dated June 28, 2016, concerning Right Way Initiative, Inc.’s April quarterly report filed on April 15, 2016.
The RFAI asserts that itemization is required for “each contributor who made a donation in excess of $200 used to fund the independent expenditure(s).” The cited regulation, however, requires the reporting of “[t]he identification of each person who made a contribution in excess of $200 to the person filing such report, which contribution was made for the purpose of furthering the reported independent expenditure.” 11 CFR section 109.10(e)(1)(vi). No contributions or donations accepted by Right Way Initiative, Inc. were solicited or received for the purpose of furthering the reported independent expenditures. Accordingly, no contributions or donations were required to be reported under the regulations cited in the RFAI.
With respect to 11 CFR section 114.10(f), that regulation applies only to “qualified nonprofit corporations.” Right Way Initiative, Inc. is not a “qualified nonprofit corporation.” Thus, the regulation is, by its own terms, inapplicable to Right Way Initiative, Inc.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions concerning this matter.
Sincerely,
Daniel Flynn
President
“….No contributions or donations accepted by Right Way Initiative, Inc. were solicited or received for the purpose of furthering the reported independent expenditures. Accordingly, no contributions or donations were required to be reported under the regulations cited….”
Alrighty then. We’re not going to find out who contributed money.
Right Way Initiative spent a chunk of change in support of or against some republican politicians in Ohio, including opposing the one who eventually won the special election for John Boehner’s vacated seat in Congress.
From the Federal Election Commission – reported on April 15, 2016:
Committee: RIGHT WAY INITIATIVE INC.
To Address Expenditure Description Date of Public Distribution/Dissemination Support/Opposed Amount Extended Calendar YTD Per Election for Office Sought
ADVANTAGE INC 2300 CLARENDON BLVD SUITE 303 ARLINGTON, Virginia 22201 PHONE CALLS 03/11/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 6926.00 640363.50
ADVANTAGE INC 2300 CLARENDON BLVD SUITE 303 ARLINGTON, Virginia 22201 PHONE CALLS 03/12/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 9561.36 649924.86
ADVANTAGE INC 2300 CLARENDON BLVD SUITE 303 ARLINGTON, Virginia 22201 PHONE CALLS 03/12/2016 In OPPOSITION to WARREN DAVIDSON 6374.24 656299.10
ADVANTAGE INC 2300 CLARENDON BLVD SUITE 303 ARLINGTON, Virginia 22201 PHONE CALLS 03/13/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 9658.56 665957.66
ADVANTAGE INC 2300 CLARENDON BLVD SUITE 303 ARLINGTON, Virginia 22201 PHONE CALLS 03/13/2016 In OPPOSITION to WARREN DAVIDSON 6439.04 672396.70
ADVANTAGE INC 2300 CLARENDON BLVD SUITE 303 ARLINGTON, Virginia 22201 PHONE CALLS 03/15/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 21594.40 703491.10 AXIOM STRATEGIES 1251 NW BRIARCLIFF PARKWAY SUITE 85 KANSAS CITY, Missouri 64116 PRINTING / POSTAGE 02/26/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 17544.00 245910.00 AXIOM STRATEGIES 1251 NW BRIARCLIFF PARKWAY SUITE 85 KANSAS CITY, Missouri 64116 PRINTING / POSTAGE
02/29/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 17544.00 263454.00 AXIOM STRATEGIES 1251 NW BRIARCLIFF PARKWAY SUITE 85 KANSAS CITY, Missouri 64116 MECIA PRODUCTION / MEDIA PLACEMENT 02/29/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 14375.00 277829.00 AXIOM STRATEGIES 1251 NW BRIARCLIFF PARKWAY SUITE 85 KANSAS CITY, Missouri 64116 PRINTING / POSTAGE 03/02/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 17544.00 295373.00 AXIOM STRATEGIES 1251 NW BRIARCLIFF PARKWAY SUITE 85 KANSAS CITY, Missouri 64116 PRINTING / POSTAGE 03/04/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 17544.00 312917.00 AXIOM STRATEGIES 1251 NW BRIARCLIFF PARKWAY SUITE 85 KANSAS CITY, Missouri 64116 MEDIA PLACEMENT 03/06/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 10937.50 323854.50 AXIOM STRATEGIES 1251 NW BRIARCLIFF PARKWAY SUITE 85 KANSAS CITY, Missouri 64116 PRINTING / POSTAGE 03/08/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 38689.00 362543.50 AXIOM STRATEGIES 1251 NW BRIARCLIFF PARKWAY SUITE 85 KANSAS CITY, Missouri 64116 PRINTING / POSTAGE 03/09/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 50010.00 412553.50 AXIOM STRATEGIES 1251 NW BRIARCLIFF PARKWAY SUITE 85 KANSAS CITY, Missouri 64116 MEDIA PLACEMENT 03/13/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 9500.00 681896.70
DEL CIELO MEDIA LLC 1427 LESLIE AVENUE SUITE 102 ALEXANDRIA, Virginia 22301 MEDIA PLACEMENT 02/24/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 215866.00 215866.00
DEL CIELO MEDIA LLC 1427 LESLIE AVENUE SUITE 102 ALEXANDRIA, Virginia 22301 MEDIA PLACEMENT 03/11/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 220339.00 632892.50
FOUR CARD LLC 3788 RICHMOND AVENUE #1274 HOUSTON, Texas 77046 MEDIA PRODUCTION 02/24/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 12500.00 228366.00
FOUR CARD LLC 3788 RICHMOND AVENUE #1274 HOUSTON, Texas 77046 MEDIA PRODUCTION 03/11/2016 In SUPPORT of TIMOTHY DERICKSON 545.00 633437.50
Total of Itemized Independent Expenditures = 703491.12
[emphasis added]
Axiom Strategies. Heh.
$703,491.12. That’s a lot of money in support of the guy who lost the republican primary. And we have no idea where the money came from.
We’ll need to wait until January 15th to see what they spent in mail against Claire.
The current annual salary for a United States Senator or a United States Representative is $174,000.00. Missouri state senators receive an annual salary of $35,915. Members of the Missouri House of Representatives receive an annual salary of $35,915.
You get the picture.
A bill pre-filed in the Missouri Senate on December 1st:
SB 48
Modifies provisions relating to filing fees for candidate for certain offices
Sponsor: Libla
LR Number: 0297S.01I
[….]
Last Action: 12/1/2016 – Prefiled
[….]
Effective Date:
August 28, 2017
The bill summary:
SB 48 – Under current law, in order to file a declaration for office a candidate is required to submit the following fees to the treasurer of the state central political party committee:
• For a statewide office or for United States Senator, a fee of $200;
• For Congressman, circuit judge, or state senator, a fee of $100; and
• For state representative, a fee of $50.
Under this act, candidates for such offices shall submit a fee equal to 10% of the salary for the office for which the candidate is seeking nomination.
[emphasis added]
Right. Wouldn’t want anyone’s grassroots campaign to get in the way now, would we?
Via TPM, we learn that Missouri’s Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill is claiming that many of her senate colleagues are saying one thing – they support Donald Trump – and planning on doing something else, namely, vote for Hillary Clinton:
“I believe, and I’m basing this on some of the things my colleagues have said to me, I believe the majority of the Republicans in the U.S. Senate are not going to vote for Donald Trump,” she told radio host McGraw Milhaven Wednesday on Missouri’s KTRS, as reported by CNN.
“Because they know that they can work with Hillary Clinton and get some things done,” she continued.
McCaskill’s assertion that GOPers might vote for Hillary in order “to get some things done” is surprising and renders her judgment suspect. Who really believes that Republicans want to get anything done? We’ve certainly seen scant evidence of such a desire over the past eight years – unless it’s cutting taxes for rich folks or repealing Obamacare, goals with which I doubt Hillary will concur. And we’re already hearing about how Republicans are planning to logjam her administration.
And if McCaskill’s right, what does it mean about Republicans?
First, it would imply that these folks are totally out of sync with the most numerous part of their base and scared silly that that base will find out. And given the angry, racist, authoritarian nature of many of the groups they have empowered via years of reprehensible and only partially masked dog whistles, their fear is understandable.
Second, it lends credence to claims that Republicans depend on their base to give them power that they then use to serve an entirely different master. The GOP manipulates poorly-informed, older, angry, white voters, Trump’s main supporters, who are largely motivated by resentment to help the party obtain the power it needs to service the needs of the corporate and oligarchic elites who pay the bills. Those elites, however, fear the havoc that a Trump victory could create.
Third, it means that lots of Republicans are flat-out hypocrites who care more about self-preservation than they do about public welfare and the future of the United States. Otherwise, they’d put GOP spin aside, tell the truth to their constituencies and encourage them to vote for Hillary too.
Finally, it tells us that the GOP believes Trump is a loser, both personally and on Nov. 8.
State Auditor Nicole Galloway (D) [2016 file photo].
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway released an audit [pdf] titled: “General Assembly and Supporting Functions – Senate”.
In part:
….Despite recommendations in our two prior audits, the Senate continues to maintain the Senate Administrator’s Fund in a bank account outside the state treasury for the purpose of soliciting contributions from lobbyists to pay for meals provided to members and employees. Soliciting contributions from lobbyists gives the appearance of, and may result in, a conflict of interest. In addition, the Senate does not have authority to maintain the bank account and administrative duties related to the account are not properly segregated.
Senate officials solicited and received contributions totaling $6,500 from lobbyists during the 2 years ended June 30, 2015. The contributions were deposited in the Senate Administrator’s Fund and used to pay for meals provided to members and employees who worked late during legislative sessions. These meal costs totaled approximately $5,800 during the 2 year period. While the Senate discontinued using contributions for retirement dinners and gifts for outgoing members after the prior audit, Senate officials indicated they continue to believe meals should be provided when members and employees work late during session.
Actively soliciting contributions from lobbyists gives the appearance of, and may result in, a conflict of interest. The House does not provide meals to members and employees when they work late.
Senate personnel could not provide statutory or other authority to hold the bank account for the Senate Administrator’s Fund outside the state treasury. Article IV, Section 15, Missouri Constitution, and Section 30.240, RSMo, require state funds to be held and disbursed by the state treasurer.
The duties of preparing and making deposits and preparing bank reconciliations are not adequately segregated. These duties are performed by the Senate Administrator. To safeguard against possible loss or misuse of funds, proper internal controls require segregating the duties of preparing and making the deposits, and reconciling the bank account.
Recommendation
The Senate discontinue the practice of soliciting contributions from lobbyists, and direct the Senate Administrator to close the Senate Administrator’s Fund bank account and contact the State Treasurer’s Office regarding the proper disposition of remaining funds. Until such disposition occurs, duties should be adequately segregated….
The response:
….The Senate Administrator’s account was established to provide a convenient and efficient means of paying for state reimbursable meal expenses incurred during late evening Senate sessions. The account maintains a minimum cash balance and is used in lieu of General Revenue. All account activities are transparent, donations are reported by lobbyists to the Ethics Commission, and the detailed documenting of each dollar deposited and expended is now segregated from the review of the bank statement reconciliation. The segregation process was reviewed and revised in response to the SAO audit.
This is a challenging situation because the Senate understands why the SAO recommends closing the account; however, there is no apparent solution that works operationally for the Senate. When the Senate is in session, Senate staff are required to be present until session adjourns and the schedule is such that it’s difficult to predict when staff will work in excess of 12 hours. The Senate agrees to continue to review other ways to purchase meals as necessary….
Uh, don’t senators get a per diem on the days they are in session and present in Jefferson City? Yep, up to June 2015 it was $103.20 per day.
And the audit also addresses meetings and minutes of senate committees:
….The Senate did not adequately prepare or retain meeting minutes for two Senate committees in accordance with the Sunshine Law.
Meeting minutes of the Senate Administration Committee did not always include some required information. This standing committee controls the financial obligations and business affairs of the Senate, and meets monthly.
Meeting minutes for open and closed sessions of the Administration Committee did not always include the time, place, and members present or absent. Also, the minutes did not always properly document votes taken. For example, when voting to go into closed session, some minutes did not document the roll call vote of each member during the open session. Also, closed meeting votes were not always documented by roll call vote of each committee member. In addition, open meeting minutes did not always document the specific section of law allowing a closed meeting….
….Chapter 610 RSMo, known as the Sunshine Law, sets forth requirements for meetings of public governmental bodies. Section 610.020, RSMo, requires a journal or minutes of all open and closed meetings. The minutes shall include the date, time, place, members present, members absent, and a record of any votes taken. In addition, Section 610.015, RSMo, requires all votes be recorded, and if a roll call is taken, requires that the minutes attribute each “yea” and “nay” vote, or abstinence if not voting, to the name of the individual member. All votes taken in closed session are required to be taken by roll call. Also, Section 610.022, RSMo, provides that before any meeting may be closed, the question of holding the closed meeting and the specific reason for the closed meeting shall be voted on during open meeting and a record of the vote of each member should be documented.
The Senate Majority Caucus General Counsel asserts the Sunshine Law does not apply to Senate standing committees because the Senate has Constitutional authority to set the rules of its proceedings. The Sunshine Law, however, applies to all governmental bodies, which is defined under Section 610.010, RSMo, to include any legislative entity created under the Missouri Constitution or statutes. Under Section 610.011.1, RSMo, of the Sunshine Law, “It is the public policy of this state that meetings, records, votes, actions, and deliberations of public governmental bodies be open to the public unless otherwise provided by law. Sections 610.010 to 610.200 shall be liberally construed and their exceptions strictly construed to promote this public policy.” Additionally, the Senate Sunshine Law policy, adopted February 2008, states the Senate shall comply with the Sunshine Law and the Senate provides Sunshine Law notices for its Administrative Committee and for joint committees. Compliance with the Sunshine Law is necessary to create transparency and provide proper records of actions and decisions….
The response:
….Based on Article III, Section 18 of the Missouri Constitution, the Missouri Senate views the operation of legislative committees as a matter of proceedings committed to the legislative branch of government. This view is supported by current case law. However, the Senate will continue to strive to promote transparency in its internal legislative committee recordkeeping procedures….
Yep, it’s the Missouri Senate’s world, the rest of us only get to live in it
![State Auditor Nicole Galloway (D) [2016 file photo].](https://i0.wp.com/showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/img_9528a.jpg?ssl=1)