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07.15.2008 10:03 pm

Koster jabs back at critics who filed Ethics complaint

Special to the Post-Dispatch
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A spokesman for state Sen. Chris Koster, D-Harrisonville, minced no words Tuesday night as he responded to a formal complaint filed earlier in the day against Koster with the state Ethics Commission.

The complaint was filed Tuesday by state Sen. Scott Rupp, R-St. Charles, state Sen. Maida Coleman, D-St. Louis and former assistant attorney general Marion Eisen. The complaint describes how Koster’s paid campaign staff shuttled money among various campaign committees to get around the state’s campaign contribution limits.

Koster has defended his fundraising tactics as legal, and says he has regularly conferred with the state Ethics Commission to make sure.

Said Koster spokesman Danny Kanner tonight:

“This is yet another political gimmick drummed up by Republicans afraid of running against Koster in the fall and desperate Democratic politicians who know their law enforcement credentials just don’t stack up.

Maida Coleman is a public Harris supporter, Marion Eisen is a public Donnelly supporter, and in one of the great acts of hypocrisy in Missouri Senate history, Scott Rupp raised nearly $200,000 through 40 separate legislative committees in the final days of his 2006 special election campaign. To consider this anything more than a political stunt is laughable.”

 

15 comments

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Will Koster ever answer to the charges himself? Why must he always send a “spokesman”?

Jo - did you try to actually talk to Koster and Kanner was all you got?

— curtz
10:30 pm July 15th, 2008

Wait a minute. So Koster says it was legal and he says he “regularly conferred” with the Ethics Commission. If that’s the case, then he should have plenty of correspondence from the commission right? If everything he says is true, then why doesn’t he release that info and make this all go away?

Everytime anyone questions Chris Koster he attacks his opponents instead of answering their charges. The only one desperate here is Koster.

— shecky
10:37 pm July 15th, 2008

Chris Koster: the candidate who attacks everyone through someone named Danny Kanner.

There’s a reason Republicans don’t like him. There are many reasons lots of Democrats don’t like him.

I’m guessing though, that the ethics complaint wasn’t filed out of pure hatred for the person as Kanner suggests but because Koster broke the law.

— Nick
10:48 pm July 15th, 2008

Danny Kanner is getting a lot of recognition in the State of Missouri, much like he did in New York as Governor Spitzer’s body man. I assure you, my friends, that there is more in common between Spitzer and Koster than Danny Kanner though. I guess Kanner likes to work in familiar situations.

Koster is in hot water and he knows it, that’s why he is avoiding the press. Has anyone seen him anywhere? Is he in the office deleting old emails and files, like Blunt? Jo, did you actually talk to Koster? Has he given any reason for why he blew off Governor Holden and a group of Democrats last week? I doubt it, the man does not want to be seen in public. I don’t blame him though, he is sinking faster than the titanic.

Here is where it gets interesting, and I am kindly asking that the P-D look into this story a little more. Chris Koster claims to have consulted the MEC to discuss the legalities of his fundraising tactics. However, a recent story on the Missouri Political News Blog illustrated Koster’s close friendship with the head of the MEC, as described in this story: http://www.mpnblog.com/2008/07/kosters-close-consultation-with-ethics.html#links

Can we, as Missouri voters, be sure that everything is on the up and up here? Can we get some answers regarding whether or not Koster consulted the MEC, and if it was, in fact, his good friend, Michael Kilgore, that he consulted? If so, will Michael Kilgore recuse himself from this case? Or, will the MEC, under Kilgore’s leadership, wait until the last possible day to make a ruling regarding this complaint?

We are facing some very serious issues here people, and I am concerned. I would think that the press would be very interested in a story like this, as they are the people’s only real source into uncovering what goes on behind closed doors. Help us out here P-D, look into this.

— Anti-Koster
11:57 pm July 15th, 2008

I have to laugh at all the incessant yelping and howling from this clique of anti-Koster people! It’s really rather amusing.

What joke you people are! Do you not see that your pathetic little effirts at snearubg gun and hissing at him make no difference? Koster is kicking his opponents tails on the air and badly too! You can scream to high heaven about how he broke the law or (in a new low even for these people) implying some similarity to the disgraced Gov. Spitzer but all the histrionics in the world can’t make those absurd charges true! Furthermore, nobody and I mean nobody in the general voting public hears you or Donnelly or Harris. All of you are wasting your time. All this hot air is getting you nowhere.

So keep on howling and yelping and stamping your little feeties trying to smear Koster cause while you waste your time on that, Kosters ads are reaching millions of Missourians. The smears are failing boys and girls. Koster is going to be the next AG.

— straight arrow
1:09 am July 16th, 2008

I don’t doubt Mr. Koster consulted more than once with the Ethics Commission, but I do doubt they gave him written guidance when he called. Meantime, Senator Coleman allies herself with Scott Rupp in order to try and bring down a fellow Democrat? Pretty sure Mr. Rupp would not have been interested in this diversion if he didn’t think it would result in a net benefit to Michael Gibbons. Note to Senator Coleman: If the guys across the aisle think it’s a swell idea, maybe you should reconsider.

— Penelope
6:53 am July 16th, 2008

This entire situation is a bunch of donkey doo-doo, literally and figuratively. Kris Koster is a turn-coat Republican. Since he changed parties why should anyone believe his campaign theme……. All Prosecutor, No Politics. Yeah, right!

Kris Koster is the WORST kind of politician. An opportunist who betrayed his party because he KNEW he could not beat Mike Gibbons in a primary fight. He invited this challenge himself and should have given more consideration before changing parties.

— Concerned Republican1
7:16 am July 16th, 2008

Jo, ask Danny if Senator Rupp set up a continuing committee such as the Economic Growth COuncil and used it to fund the 20 legislative committees. Follow that question up with the question of whether he used his campaign staff to send cover letters with a continuing committees name. Its illegal on two counts. A candidate cannot control more than one committee. Koster controlled the Economic Growth COuncil and Koster for Missouri. Mr. Koster a jury of your peers having found you GUILTY. 10 years! Plus, a continuing committee cannot be created for the sole purpose to hide the identity of donors which is what happened as all of the money that the Economic Growth Council raised went in from Koster donors and then to Legislative Committees and then back into Kosters campaign. GUILTY! 10 more years. Have fun in prison.

— Rich
7:59 am July 16th, 2008

Yeah. Where is Koster? He seems to be hiding out. Doesn’t show up at the Webster U event. Scheduling conflict. More like duck and run. Doesn’t want to face the Democrats he is trying to ask to elect him. He knows they won’t vote for him so why face them. CHICKEN!!!

— yellow dog dem
8:24 am July 16th, 2008

Anyone can go back and look at my prior comments on this blog and other blogs. I said that I was supporting Jeff but I also saw postives from the other candidates.

I can no longer say that about Koster. The AP story from last week is scary and the plagarism story from yesterday isn’t good either. In addition, there was a comment on this blog last week from someone who used to be “close” to Koster that worried me a little. The comment is no longer there. Jo took it down. But it didn’t look good.

Jay Nixon is the leader of our party. All this stuff about Koster isn’t good. Jay Nixon needs to get his duff off the sidelines and say something because all the Koster people say is that Nixon is doing the same thing.

Jeff is leading the poll by a good margin despite being outspent so far. But Koster has a lot of money. I would ask the Donnelly supporters like Clark to look into their hearts and do the right thing. You may like Donnelly better than Jeff. Fine. But do you really want Koster to win the primary. Politics is atough business and sometimes we don’t get our first choice. Donnelly is a great public servant but my feeling based on Koster’s recent behavior is we need to rally around an alternative.

— Jessica
9:14 am July 16th, 2008

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