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COLUMBIA - At a news conference Monday, Kurt Schaefer called out Chuck Graham for accepting thousands of dollars worth of lobbyist gifts.
According to monthly expenditures on file with the Missouri Ethics Commission, KOMU estimated Graham has received over $29,000 in gifts since 2001. These gifts include tickets to a Missouri Tigers football game, the MU - Illinois basketball game and dinner at Sophia's. Schaefer said this is an inexcusable pattern.
"Chuck Graham's use of his public position for his personal gain by supplementing his income with lobbyist perks is absolutely indefensible," said Schaefer. "He continues to make bad personal and professional choices that put his interests first and the needs of the citizens of the nineteenth district second."
On the phone from the Democratic National Convention, Chuck Graham defended accepting the gifts as necessary meetings. He went on to say he was surprised at Schaefer's remarks because of Schaefer's involvement while at the Department of Natural Resources in what he called a possibly illegal no bid contract.
"We're looking into it. We believe that its... Did break rules that the Governor set down and possibly state law so we'll certainly be pursuing it," Graham said. "I don't think it's right that somebody like Kurt Schaefer can, when he worked for the state, give a no bid contract to a law firm and then go benefit from that money at $300 an hour and buy himself a partnership at a special interest law firm run by the Governor's sister."
Schaefer said he accepted "little or no gifts" in the campaign.
Reported by: Brandon Lewis
Posted by: Jaryd Wilson
Published: Monday, August 25, 2008 at 10:27 PM
Last Updated: Tuesday, September 2, 2008 at 10:32 AM |
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