Mo. AG candidate scolded in ads funded by ex-wife

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The former wife of Democratic attorney general candidate Chris Koster is financing a television ad questioning his fundraising and ethics.

Rebecca Bowman Nassikas donated $200,000 to a political committee last week that plans to use the money for TV ads. The committee, Missourians for Honest Leadership, has already posted the piece on its Web site, TheFactsOnKoster.com.

Nassikas, who was married to Koster from 1996 to 2003, told The Kansas City Star that ethics complaints filed by her ex-husband's rivals prompted her to donate the money, although she said she had no say when it came to ads. Nassikas, who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., said she's not connected to any of Koster's rival campaigns.

Koster, a state senator and former Cass County prosecutor, faces state Reps. Margaret Donnelly and Jeff Harris and Kansas City teacher Molly Williams in the Democratic attorney general primary Tuesday. Sen. Michael Gibbons is the only Republican candidate.

Donnelly, Harris and Gibbons file complaints with the Missouri Ethics Commission after The Associated Press earlier this month reported how Koster's paid campaign staff shuttled money among various committees to get around the state's campaign contribution limits.

The ad posted to the Web site of Missourians for Honest Leadership includes headlines and excerpts from several newspaper stories delving into Koster's fundraising practices.

"I hope this gets people to look into (the allegations)," Nassikas said. "They might still decide to vote for Chris. But this will be a way to make it more fair."

Campaign spokesman Danny Kanner said the ad is an effort by political rivals to undermine Koster's candidacy. Koster has defended his fundraising tactics as legal, based in part on the advice of the Ethics Commission.

Barbara Kemery, treasurer of Missourians for Honest Leadership, said the committee's goal is to publicize ethics complaints about Koster. The committee was formed in Columbia in October 2006 and spent $17,599 to oppose three Republican state representatives.

After Nassikas donated $200,000 to Missourians for Honest Leadership, documents filed with the Ethics Commission show the committee used $2,000 to set up a Web site. The committee also paid $187,500 to a New York company to produce television ads against Koster and buy air time.

Nassikas said she also wanted to help level the playing field in the primary, because she believes Koster was able to loan his campaign $200,000 partly as a result of their 2005 divorce settlement.

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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com