I’m grateful to be living in Lacy Clay’s district. I didn’t have to wonder: I knew he’d vote against that FISA travesty. He’s an HR 676 co-sponsor. He opposed the war before it ever began. And so forth. His politics are progressive.

So I learned with dismay a couple of days ago that he is endorsing Chris Koster. Jo Mannies at the Post-Dispatch tells us Clay’s rationale:

Clay praised Koster’s “great courage to cross over into the light” when he switched political parties last year. Clay also chastised Koster’s opponents for repeatedly questioning whether he’s a true Democrat.

Representative Clay: I’m glad Koster had the “courage to cross over into the light”, but that religious metaphor reminds me that it’s never enough to be born again if you’re going to continue deliberately sinning in the callous belief that the Creator’s got you covered for any misbehavior.

It makes no sense for you, sir, to reward the man who wants to be the state’s top law enforcement officer when he breaks the law in his handling of campaign finance contributions. Indeed, most of the money that got “recontributed” to him through the Economic Growth Council, Koster’s front group for money laundering, came from Republicans and will be used in an effort to defeat two fine Democrats with impeccable legislative progressive histories.

By all means, Koster is welcome in our party, but I wish he had stayed in the Senate. He doesn’t deserve the AG nomination, nor your help in obtaining it.

The AP article earlier this week that described Koster’s campaign finance shady dealings pointed out:

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.”

But that’s precisely what Koster did. One of his own staff members provided the Associated Press with the e-mails that proved he had set up the Economic Growth Council for that purpose. He told donors who’d had to take back their over-the-limit contributions but who wanted to “recontribute” the money that they should give it to the EGC so it could be passed to him. Then the EGC took the money it collected to various legislative committees, handed them checks, and in return received similar sized checks made out to Koster.

Furthermore, Jorgen Schlemeier, the point man for two of Koster’s donors said he was told why the EGC had been created:

“The treasurer at the Economic Growth Council made a very clear statement that we’re founded to help Chris Koster out.”

Koster orchestrated it, and now he’s saying:

“I strongly believe – because we have acted in consultation with the law, the rulings and on the advise [sic] of the ethics commission – that we are in line with campaign finance laws.”

Horsehockey!

And like a kid caught stealing candy, Koster “contends other campaigns also routinely use staffers to shuttle and flip checks through political committees, though he cited no one specifically by name.” All the other kids do it.

We need a grownup–with ethics, by the bye–in charge of the AG’s office.

And as long as I’m busy chastising people, let me quote the extent of Jo Mannies’ coverage of the Koster scandal, at least as far as the hard copy edition of the Post-Dispatch goes:

Clay’s support comes as Koster has been under fire for his campaign fundraising practices. Most of Koster’s campaign money originated from a few wealthy individuals, including multimillionaire Rex Sinquefield, who gave to numerous campaign committees that donated to Koster.

There you have the sum and substance of what she or anyone else has had to say about this scandal in the daily paper.

I’m not counting on the Ethics Commission, either, to do the right thing. The Missouri Political News Blog is reporting that the chair of the Commission is Tim Kilgore, who worked with Koster in the law firm of Tim Dollar a few years back. When Koster says he acted “on the advise [sic] of the ethics commission”, he may mean on the advice of that particular member, a very powerful member.

Hey, am I just whistling Dixie here? Or is somebody  with the ability to get this issue before the public paying attention?