JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — State Sen. Ed Emery, R-Lamar, has filed a Senate Remonstrance against Gov. Jay Nixon over his potential involvement in the Missouri Department of Revenue’s document scanning controversy.
“All we are asking in this remonstrance is for the Governor to fulfill his oath,” Emery told The Missouri Times. “He is the top executive in the state, so it’s within his power and his duty to investigate any wrongdoing and take the appropriate action.”
The language “demands” that Gov. Nixon “enforce the laws of the state by immediately investigating, disciplining and removing any members of the executive departments who are responsible for this egregious breach of public trust.”
Emery said that the DOR scandal had become “muddled,” and that his remonstrance was designed to be “as specific as possible” in the demands of the Senate. Emery said that, if adopted, the remonstrance makes clear that failure to comply would be regarded by the Senate as a failure of his duties.
Emery would not comment on a possible impeachment proceeding, which would be handled by the House. But he did say that a similar remonstrance would likely come to fruition from the other side of the building.
Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles, forwarded the remonstrance to the Senate Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee Tuesday morning.
Emery’s move came as lawmakers continue to investigate the administration for scanning and allegedly sharing source documents given for driver’s licenses and conceal carry weapons endorsements.
The issue was one of the most heated discussions in the Senate’s budget debate earlier this month. The budget, sponsored by Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, cut a significant amount of funding from the Department of Revenue, as well as the Department of Public Safety, which told lawmakers that they had sent a file containing information about CCW permit holders to federal authorities.
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Editor’s Note: This story will be updated as we receive more details.
