Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Missouri Ethics Commission on Dec. 1, 2021 alleging that Eric Greitens’ gubernatorial campaign committee, Greitens for Missouri, violated state campaign finance law.
By doing so, Greitens for Missouri also violated a February 2020 consent decree with the commission in which it agreed to not commit further campaign finance violations for two years.
This action follows an Oct. 28, 2021 complaint from CLC with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that Greitens violated federal campaign finance law by illegally spending Missouri state campaign funds on his run for U.S. Senate.
However, by failing to properly report those transactions in filings with the Missouri Ethics Commission, Greitens for Missouri also violated state campaign finance law, and the above-mentioned 2020 consent order.
Under Missouri law, a state-level committee must file periodic reports that disclose the date and amount of all contributions to other committees, including those controlled by the same candidate. By spending money on Greitens’ U.S. Senate race, Greitens’ gubernatorial campaign made contributions to Greitens for U.S. Senate but violated Missouri law by failing to disclose those donations.
If the Missouri Ethics Commission finds probable cause to believe that Greitens for Missouri has violated Missouri campaign finance law, then pursuant to a 2020 Consent Order between the commission and the committee, Greitens for Missouri may be required to pay the remaining $140,087 fine associated with its prior violations.
It violated both state and federal law for Greitens to spend more than $100,000 in gubernatorial campaign funds on his U.S. Senate race without proper disclosure. Like all Americans, Missouri voters have a right to a political process that is both fair and transparent — by illegally transferring funds and misstating their source, Greitens has taken steps to ensure it is neither.
Real transparency about who is spending on elections means more government accountability and less political corruption. The Missouri Ethics Commission needs to take action against Eric Greitens and his campaigns for this blatantly illegal spending.