Commissioner Again Asks Montee to Identify the Nixon Staffers Who Misled State Auditor in 2006

Nixon Staff Falsely "Represented" Nixon's Use of State Car

Jefferson City - Attorney General Jay Nixon used his taxpayer-funded state car for his political campaign for at least three years, but during an audit of his office last year, Auditor Montee said Nixon's staff members provided false "representation" to the State Auditor's office that his car was being used for official purposes only.

Mike Keathley, the Commissioner of the Office of Administration is growing impatient as State Auditor Montee has missed a December 12 deadline to provide his office with the identities of the staff members in Nixon's office who provided the false information to the State Auditor's office in 2006.

"You have said that Nixon's office falsely 'represented' that Attorney General Nixon was only using his taxpayer-funded vehicle for official purposes. We now know this representation was not true and that Nixon had been using his state car for his political campaign for at least three years," Keathley wrote in a letter to Auditor Montee. "The Auditor's office interviewed Nixon's staff during the 2006 audit of his office. It is important that you immediately identify the Nixon staff members responsible for misrepresenting information to the State Auditor so that I may inquire further of them regarding the extent of Nixon's use of state resources for his campaign."

Keathley noted that misrepresentation to State Auditors is a very serious matter. It is against Missouri law (Section 29.250 RSMo) to withhold information from state auditors.

Keathley has said he is not ruling out using other means to secure this information.

"I posed my request to you in hopes that I would be spared the use of other more intrusive legal processes," Keathley wrote. "If you will not assist me as the State of Missouri's Auditor by December 21st, I will seek another method of obtaining the information I have requested."

Letter from Montee

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