Missouri attorney general weighs in on Confide messaging app

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's attorney general said Monday he's weighing whether to appoint a special investigator to check into use of the secretive Confide messaging app by several senior members of Gov. Eric Greitens' office.

Attorney General Josh Hawley, a Republican, was asked by Democratic state Sen. Scott Sifton of the St. Louis area to investigate after The Kansas City Star reported last week it determined Greitens and some of his staff have Confide accounts connected to their personal cellphones. The app deletes messages and prevents recipients from saving, forwarding, printing or taking screenshots of messages.

Hawley said at a news conference Monday he can't directly investigate Greitens because he's defending the Republican governor's office in other legal cases, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. But Hawley could appoint a special investigator, and he said he's looking at case law to determine whether to do so.

"This is another nothing story that's come from a liberal media outlet that is just desperate for salacious headlines," said Greitens, referring to The Star's story during his own news conference Monday.

Greitens spokesman Parker Briden previously told The Star, "I don't believe anyone has (Confide) downloaded on a state-issued device."

Greitens and his office have not disputed information reported by The Star.

Hawley, who is running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, said his office's policy and legal opinion is text messages sent or received by state employees about state business fall under Missouri's open-records law. But he added the "legal complexities are significant" and promised an update soon.

It's unclear whether governor's office staffers are using the app for official business, campaign work or personal communication.

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com