Nixon charged with illegal fundraising

JEFFERSON CITY - The Missouri Republican Party has accused Attorney General, and Democratic candidate for governor, Jay Nixon with illegal fund-raising, citing a YouTube video as proof.

In a press release sent Wednesday, Nixon is accused of using a state vehicle for fund-raising in St. Louis and Kirksville citing section 37.450 and 301.260 of the Revised Missouri Statutes.

Democratic spokesman Jack Cardetti has charged that the statutes are being misquoted by the Republican Party, calling the accusations "blatantly hypocritical."

"It is blatantly hypocritical to level this charge when Matt Blunt wakes up everyday and uses half a dozen state vehicles to travel to political and public events," Cardetti said.

The videos were posted by user-name BRDT1, providing the only a name "Wiggy" and a country, "United States." According to the YouTube profile, the user has been a member since May 18,2007. BRDT1 has posted four videos to the site, two concerning the charged illegal fund-raising, and two others titled, "Jay Nixon Insults Troopers" and "Secret Jay Nixon Meeting with Koster."

"These have been independently posted of us," Paul Sloca, spokesman for the Missouri Republican Party, said. "We don't have anyone filming Jay Nixon. We are confident that he is using his state vehicle with the license number 6 and that he is attending fundraisers at private residences."

Cardetti said that the car driven by the attorney general was not being used illegally.

"It is the Attorney General's security car," Cardetti said. "Jay Nixon is the attorney general 24 hours a day and has the appropriate security. He uses the state vehicles just as Matt Blunt uses the state vehicles," Cardetti said.

According to Captain Timothy Hull of the Missouri Highway Patrol, they are charged with providing security to the governor by state statute.

"Chapter 43 of the Missouri Statute requires us to provide security to the governor no matter where he goes," Hull said. "It's the service that we provide not only to this governor but past administrations have received this same security. Anywhere they go, we have to provide that security for them because that is what we are charged with.."

Hull said that the Missouri Highway Patrol does not provide a vehicle for the attorney general and that they did not provide a vehicle for Nixon on either of these two days of fund-raising.

"He is not assigned one of our Patrol vehicles, he does not have one," Hull said. "It may look like a patrol car. Maybe its an Impala or a Crown Vic, I don't know. It's not one of ours," Hull said.

Barry Bennett, director of communications for Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder said that the lieutenant governor has always followed Office of Administration guidelines for usage of state vehicles.

Samantha Brewer, communications directors for State Auditor Susan Montee said that the legislator only uses her personal vehicle, that the state vehicles are used by auditors. Communications director for State Treasurer Sarah Steelman said that Steelman also uses her personal vehicle.

Sloca said he became aware of the video from a political website.

"We found it on on website called Missouri Political News Service. Once the videos were up, some other folks called us to inform us that these were the dates and this is what's going on."

Sloca would not disclose his sources that provided him with the information.

The attorney general's office could not be reached for comment.