Sens. Rupp & Coleman File Ethics Complaint Against Koster

UPDATED: KOSTER RESPONDS; QUESTIONS MOTIVES

State Senators Scott Rupp and Maida Coleman have filed an ethics complaint against fellow Sen. Chris Koster's campaign for Attorney General.

The bipartisan complaint alleges that Koster illegally coordinated the funneling of contributions in excess of campaign finance limits into his own campaign fund.

"Creating the Economic Growth Council, whose sole purpose was to redirect contributions in excess of the legal limits. First to legislative party committees and ultimately into his campaign violates the law" said Senator Scott Rupp. "Candidates for Attorney General should be held to highest legal and ethical standard and the questions raised in last week's Associated Press report suggest that Mr. Koster violated the people's trust" said Senator Coleman.

UPDATED . . . Sen. Chris Koster's campaign responded Tuesday afternoon.

"This is yet another political gimmick drummed up by Republicans afraid of running against Koster in the fall and desperate Democratic politicians who know their law enforcement credentials just don't stack up," said spokesperson Danny Kanner. "Maida Coleman is a public Harris supporter, Marion Eisen is a public Donnelly supporter, and in one of the great acts of hypocrisy in Missouri Senate history, Scott Rupp raised nearly $200,000 through 40 separate legislative committees in the final days of his 2006 special election campaign. To consider this anything more than a political stunt is laughable," Kanner added.

"A thorough and timely investigation is warranted here so the people of Missouri know whether a candidate for the States top law enforcement position violated the law and cheated Missourians out of a fair primary election," added Democratic attorney Marion Eisen.

The Missouri Ethics Commission does not comment on complaints. It has until Aug. 6 - the day after the primary election - to rule on the complaint.

The complaint also calls on the Missouri Ethics Commission to freeze the use of the funds received by the Koster for Missouri campaign from the Economic Growth Council.