Friday, July 27, 2007

Nixon Brief Exempts McCaskill

The Associated Press reports that Sen. Claire McCaskill and others working to pay off old campaign debts could benefit if the state Supreme Court follows the state's suggested model for reinstating Missouri's campaign contribution limits.

Attorney General Jay Nixon recently filed a brief that said contribution limits should be retroactive to January. But he said an exemption should be made for those whose election already occurred or whose committees were shut down before the July ruling.

The opinion would allow Sen. McCaskill to keep money she raised to pay off a loan she used for the Governor's race.

Missouri State University Political Science Professor George Connor told the Kansas City Star: “I don’t know how to say it nicely — it looks bad. This is not to say there is collusion and corruption, but the appearance of collusion suggests that Attorney General Nixon should have stepped aside. There are just too many angles in which Nixon stands to benefit or lose.”

The entire situation certainly puts Nixon in a political pickle. The Attorney General -- offering an opinion on campaign contributions -- that will impact a campaign --- he's in the middle of.

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