What do the Blunt administration’s released e-mails say about his office?
The Post-Dispatch, the Kansas City Star and the Associated Press sued the administration of Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt to obtain the release of thousands of e-mails. These are e-mails that Blunt’s office originally said didn’t have to be saved, much less released.
The lead to the story the Post-Dispatch ran on Sunday summarizes the pattern:
The administration contended that a fired staff lawyer never offered advice about the governor’s policy requiring public records, including e-mails, to be retained.
But he did.
Blunt’s staffers said the administration did not regularly conduct state business out of public view on campaign e-mail accounts.
But they did.
And the governor’s then-chief-of-staff denied the existence of e-mails showing he had engaged in political activities on state time.
But hundreds of them exist.
Did you read the story? Does it matter to you that there were attempts to rebuff an administration official who argued that the e-mails were a public record? Does it matter that the e-mails themselves contradict public statements by the governor and others in his office?
Kurt is the director of social media for the Post-Dispatch, where he has worked since August 2002. He's been a journalist since 1982, covering municipal government, courts, education and two hurricanes as a reporter before becoming an editor. 
D.Walker, sorry about the gender confusion.
Where are all Jay Nixon’s e-mails?
I’m looking forward to seeing the Attorney General / Governor Elect’s electronic correspondence.
….uhhh, anyone on that one, PD?
It matters more to me that the Bush administration lost emails they were legally required to keep. Since before 2003, we have no record of one of the most secret, unethical administrations in modern history’s activities. They say they can recreate one database, but the one that contains the deleted emails can’t be fixed. How convenient is THAT? To let that go by unpunished is almost as stupid as letting Palin keep using unsecure free email accounts to conduct gov’ment bizness. Now Obama’s administration will have spend extra time to go looking through the budget line by line to find whe unusual places GB hid budget items to fool the folks who want transparent ETHICAL budgeting activities. Look for a much more expensive testosterone fueled chest-thumping cowboy world occupation attempt reveal soon. Laws mean nothing to the pale ones in power.
Nick Kasoff…once again, you post untruths on these blogs. Go take your grinding ax elsewhere! You lost the election. Live with it. Why don’t you try to fix your own conservative party’s issues before you go harping on others? Obama does not cheat on his wife. Your guy DID…more than once. And if he knocked his mistresses up, you can be sure she would have that pregnancy terminated pronto. Probably with one of the three incomes your sorry buddy takes off of the backs of taxpayers. Obama is willing to work with slick Jihad Johnny now for the good of the country. Why can’t you stop fueling untruths?
D Walker…as you know, some of the most evil folks use the word christain. Take a look at KKK publications if you doubt that.
ROB’S BACK!!!! I thought the cons killed you while you were working for Johnny. LMAOROTF Wasn’t that campaign trail fun this time around? Met some real characters myself. Now I have to decide if I can telecommute, or will have to move to DC.
Yes, it bothers me that we are expected to follow laws, yet politicians think that is not true for them. Those that are put into power by their parents seem to be especially bad at following those pesky old laws. It’s worse than many americans don’t even care about such things anymore. It’s all about bend over and spread those hairy, pimply cheeks and let theose pols take what they want. As my pal Mike says…they don’t even offer a reach around anymore.
4:20…it’s TIME!
It matters a great deal. As someone who has been working in state government since before these jerks came to town, it’s what so many of us suspected all along: that power-drunk ideologues came to town to bully and dismantle government, but in some ways it’s a bit shocking to know how true it is. I’m also very disappointed that the Catholic Church is now using Mr. Martin’s services…that does not speak well for the church at all. Did they know how he operates? Is that acceptable to them? Do they encourage that kind of behavior out of an employee?
Most of us are very very thankful that it’s about over. Also, kudos, kudos and more kudos to Tony Messenger who obviously smelled a rat and started this thing going back in Springfield.
First off, this tale doesn’t affect me directly. I live in downstate Illinois, and have Governor Baloneyvich to deal with. You think Blunt is corrupt because of some political maneuvering by his minions on public time?
Ha. We got you beat hands down. See: Ryan, George. Remember him? He’s in prison for using the Sec State’s office for political purposes.
It is true that those with power…either political or economic, and frequently both…act as if THEY don’t have to follow the rules that they create for everyone else. Fundamentally, that’s the problem.
How to fix it? I haven’t got a clue.
Like most things scandal, it isn’t the underlying issue==it was the coverup. I especially was angered by the treatment of the staffer who warned about e-mail retention. Not only did he lose his job, he had his reputation (both business and personal) trounced upon and trashed by Blunt and his co-horts. That was a disgrace!
I’m tired of the Post-Dispatch riding this issue. I’d like to see the same kind of scrutiny devoted to Democrats, but I know better. The Post-Dispatch is partisan.
As evidenced by some of the posts here, however, I can see that your devoted Democrat readers will swallow whatever you feed them and ask for seconds.
Gov. Blunt went beyond what is legally required in creating the email backup system. Here’s a question: why haven’t news outlets - including the PD - been so diligent about Nixon’s or McCaskill’s emails, especially considering that Nixon is entering office? Might this lack of inquiry have something to do with the candidates you endorsed? Or perhaps because you seem seem to have a vendetta against Gov. Blunt? Either way, this is a non-issue, would never stand in court. This is really weak.