GOP officer files ethics complaints against Democratic panel

Campaign committees of opposing political parties are at odds over complaints filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission last week.

Republicans allege Democrats committed violations of the state's campaign finance law, while Democrats named in the complaints call the allegations a purely political attack and say the problems mostly stemmed from a paperwork error.

Eddy Justice of Poplar Bluff, Mo., who serves as treasurer of the Missouri House Republican Campaign Committee, on Dec. 5 filed two complaints against the Missouri House Democratic Campaign Committee and House Democratic Victory Committee.

Eddy Justice

In the first complaint, Justice alleges violations of campaign finance laws by the Missouri House Democratic Campaign Committee that include it failing to disclose how a discrepancy of $47,000 reported by the committee July 18 was disposed of -- through contributions or expenditures -- as required by the law. The complaint also alleges the committee issued more than $60,000 in bad checks to a vendor and that the committee failed to disclose more than $126,000 in debt to the vendor.

The committee no longer operates. It was terminated in July and a new committee -- the House Democratic Victory Committee -- essentially took its place.

House Minority Leader Jacob Hummel, D-St. Louis, is among the individuals named in the complaint. Hummel denied wrongdoing by the former committee and called the situation a "vendor dispute."

Hummel said his administration worked with the ethics panel for months to make sure it is fully aware of the changes and reasons for setting up a new committee. As for other allegations about the new committee, Hummel said he believes there was only a date-related paperwork error from when he wrote the check from his campaign committee and that the rules were followed.

"As far as the old committee went, we completely disagree with any of that ... owing any of that to them," he said. "Honestly, I am sure this is a partisan attack on us by the gentleman this was sent in by -- which I understand, that's fine. We're all big boys and girls and understand the nature of the game. I think that's nothing more than what this is."

A draft of a lawsuit drawn up in June by an attorney for the vendor, Mad Dog Mail, accompanied Justice's complaint -- though the suit has not been filed in court. Mad Dog Mail is a Florida-based campaign mail service used by the committee before the 2012 election. The company, according to the lawsuit draft, received four checks dishonored by the committee's bank.

The draft suit also alleges the committee reported to the commission that payments were made to the company, when none were. Michael Dolce, the Florida attorney who composed the draft on behalf of Mad Dog Mail, did not respond to a phone call from the Southeast Missourian after a message was left at his office Monday.

The second complaint, filed against the House Democratic Victory Committee, alleges the Missouri House Democratic Campaign Committee was shut down because of the violations listed in the first complaint and the new committee was formed to "'clean up' the Missouri House of Representatives Democratic Caucus' financial debacle."

The complaint also alleges the committee accepted and made contributions before filing an organizational statement with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

The second committee, alleges Justice in the complaint, took a contribution from a committee supporting Hummel and made a contribution to a committee supporting a candidate in a special election for the 157th District.

The Missouri House Democratic Campaign Committee was formed in 1999.

Hummel said the new committee sprung from a rebranding attempt by Democrats.

"Quite frankly, we haven't won many seats in the past few years. We all felt like we needed a fresh start," he said.

Jordan Overstreet, executive director for the House Democratic Victory Committee, also said the new committee was part of a reorganization and called the ethics complaints "petty politics."

Overstreet, named in the second complaint, declined to comment further during a phone interview Tuesday because he said he had not yet received the complaints from the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Justice said he filed the complaint because he wants to "make sure both parties are following the rules," and he didn't think that was happening after reviewing the Democratic committees' financial reports.

"The reason why I pursued it is the fact that Missourians are required to abide by the law, and when the law is broken, somebody has to at least look into it ... or if it appears a law has been broken, whether it's ethics laws or something else," Justice said. "If Republicans have to abide by a standard, it should be an equal standard for all people involved."

The Missouri Ethics Commission investigates complaints it receives, although the investigations and hearings are closed. Final dispositions of complaints, however, are made public.

Validity of complaints is reviewed in addition to the actual complaints. Complaints found to be frivolous are dismissed, though a finding that a complaint is frivolous becomes public record.

eragan@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

Jefferson City, MO

Poplar Bluff, MO