Ethics panel subpoenas Missouri governor candidate's ex-aide

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A former consultant for Missouri's Republican gubernatorial nominee Eric Greitens said Thursday he is complying with a subpoena as part of an ethics investigation involving Greitens' campaign and a charity he founded for military veterans.

Michael Hafner appeared at the Missouri Ethics Commission office in Jefferson City in response to a subpoena for his testimony and records.

The commission is looking into a complaint Greitens' campaign failed to report its use of a donor list from The Mission Continues, a St. Louis-based nonprofit Greitens created.

The ethics investigation comes just days ahead of Tuesday's closely contested gubernatorial election between Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, and Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster.

They are among five candidates seeking to succeed Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, who is term-limited.

The Associated Press reported last month Hafner had access to a spreadsheet listing the names, email addresses and phone numbers of people who had given at least $1,000 to The Mission Continues while Hafner was working for Greitens' gubernatorial exploratory committee.

The spreadsheet's properties show it was created by a Mission Continues employee in May 2014, shortly before Greitens stepped down as CEO of the charity, and last had been saved by Hafner on March 24, 2015.