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Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway misused tax dollars for her gubernatorial campaign, according to a complaint filed with the Secretary of State.
The complaint was made by Liberty Alliance USA last week to Missouri Secretary of State Jah Ashcroft. It alleges that Galloway, who is a Democrat candidate for governor, used staff and taxpayer resources to publish an op-ed in the “St. Louis Post Dispatch” that was critical of Gov. Mike Parson’s stance on abortion. The complaint states she did so shortly before announcing her gubernatorial campaign against Parson. The complaint provided evidence in the form of emails sent by members of Galloway’s office that used a state email address. Such actions would use taxpayer resources and are illegal under state and federal Federal Elections Commission laws.
Chris Vas, executive director of the Liberty Alliance, said he believes Galloway’s office also violated Missouri constitutional law in her election activity.
“The op-ed that was placed using state resources was about abortion, and it attacks her political opponent Gov. Parson,” Vas told “The Missouri Times.” “The state auditor’s duties are laid out in the Constitution, and abortion issues are not one of them. It turns out that a couple of weeks later, she announced her run for governor using the very same talking points she was laying the groundwork for through the op-eds.”
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The organization has submitted numerous open records Sunshine Law requests to Galloway’s office over the past year seeking to learn the extent of her misuse of tax dollars. In a press release, Liberty stated, “Galloway’s office has stonewalled and withheld documents asserting vague privileges, in a brazen lack of transparency. As of August 28, 2020, the Secretary of State’s Office has the power to subpoena documents to aid in investigating elections-related complaints, and it is now uniquely capable of carrying out this investigation on behalf of taxpayers.”
Steph Deidrick, press secretary for Galloway, brushed off the allegations, referring to Liberty Alliance USA as a “dark- money group” though he provided no evidence.
“They have been unsuccessful in their attacks,” Deidrick said. “The operations of Auditor Galloway’s office are open, accessible to the public and in compliance with the law. Anyone is welcome to view the hundreds of thousands of pages of public business that are publicly available online and free of charge.”
READ: Galloway attacks dark money then accepts it
Galloway’s last campaign was funded in part by money connected to billionaire George Soros and other affiliated groups are supporting her campaign for governor.
A similar complaint against U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley alleging the political use of state funds during his time as attorney general was leveled by Galloway in an audit earlier this year. The audit found communications between Hawley’s office and consultants gave “the appearance of political activity by state employees while using state resources, but no evidence exists that any laws were violated.” Hawley was exonerated.
“After a year of attacking Josh Hawley, she turns around and does the same thing,” Vas said. “Hawley was cleared of all wrongdoing, but based on the facts in this investigation, I don’t know that she will be.”
Liberty Alliance USA states on their website that their primary goal is to fight the spread of socialism in the state and to promote conservative values.
“We are committed to fighting the reckless embrace of Socialism in Missouri and believe that true Conservatism is fundamental to ensuring opportunity for the next generation of our state. Our goal is to bring people together under a shared cause to help shape the future of Missouri for decades to come,” it states.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
