JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Republican governor of the Show-Me State is under fire, again, for blurring the legal line of a nonprofit’s participation in political campaigns.
On Thursday, the Associated Press reported Gov. Eric Greitens use an email address for The Mission Continues to arrange political meetings, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Attorney General’s Office has opened an inquiry into The Mission Continues, and the Kansas City Star reported that the St. Louis prosecutor’s office is talking to Greitens’ former campaign staffer tied to the campaign’s use of The Mission Continues donor list.
The Mission Continues is a veterans charity founded by Greitens in 2007. He was CEO of the charity until he transitioned to board president in 2014, in 2015 he resigned that position. As a 501(c)(3) charity, The Mission Continues is prohibited by federal law from participating in any political campaign.
The Governor’s ties to the charity have been questions since the Associated Press reported in October 2016 that Greitens raised more than $2 million for his campaign from donors or entities that had also given significant amounts to The Mission Continues.
Greitens originally denied working off the charities donor list but agreed to pay a $100 penalty to the Missouri Ethics Commission for failing to report the donors list.
Now, the Associated Press is reporting that Greitens sent meeting invitations from the charity’s email address to three political consultants. Since the emails were sent before he had officially declared candidacy but involved running for political office, the legal implications are muddled.
The Post-Dispatch is reporting that Loree Anne Paradise, Josh Hawley’s deputy chief of staff, said in an email, “The Attorney General’s Office has an open inquiry into the charitable activities of The Mission Continues, pursuant to the AGO’s enforcement responsibilities under the consumer protection and charitable registration and reporting laws.”
Michael Hafner, who worked on Greitens campaign when the donor list was first used, is talking to Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s office, according to the Star. Which indicts that the criminal investigation into the Governor has expanded into his campaign.
Alisha Shurr was a reporter for The Missouri Times and The Missouri Times Magazine. She joined The Missouri Times in January 2018 after working as a copy editor for her hometown newspaper in Southern Oregon. Alisha is a graduate of Kansas State University.
